Macroeconomic data, trends, and policy developments.
Coverage of key economic indicators, central bank policy decisions, inflation trends, labor data, and growth signals. This category focuses on the macroeconomic forces that shape markets, interest rates, and long-term capital allocation.
5,081 total articles
Multiple sources say the European Central Bank is widely expected to approve a rate increase at its June 11 meeting due to persistent energy-driven inflation pressures and an outlook slipping toward the bank's adverse scenario. However, officials are likely to avoid committing to an additional move in July, preferring to preserve flexibility as pol…
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told lawmakers that recent increases in market interest rates since the start of the Iran war have created breathing room for the central bank to assess the conflict's economic impact. Bailey referenced higher mortgage borrowing costs, a softer outlook for growth and the labour market, and said market pricing …
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told lawmakers that increases in market interest rates since the onset of the Iran war have created a window for the central bank to determine the appropriate policy response to the conflict's economic effects. Bailey highlighted rising mortgage borrowing costs as an example of market tightening, noted softer …
ADNOC reports the United Arab Emirates' new crude pipeline intended to route oil around the Strait of Hormuz has reached roughly 50% completion. The project was publicly disclosed last week and is being expedited to double Fujairah export capacity by 2027 amid continued restrictions on non-Iranian vessels transiting the strait and damage assessment…
A Reuters poll finds most economists expect the Bank of Israel to resume lowering its policy rate next week after a pause. Stable inflation, a strengthened shekel and a ceasefire with Iran that has held for over a month are cited as factors supporting easing. The central bank meets Monday to set short-term rates.
Poland is preparing to reenter the Swiss franc-denominated bond market for the first time since 2015, appointing BNP Paribas and UBS Investment Bank to coordinate a potential multi-tranche senior unsecured issue. The transaction - which may include a green bond tranche - is conditional on market conditions and follows a period in which Poland has n…
The UK government intends to delay a scheduled fuel duty increase in September as petrol and diesel prices rise following developments in the Iran region. The short-term hold on the planned 1 pence per litre rise is expected to be announced soon, while subsequent increases pencilled in for December and March 2027 remain part of the existing plan. M…
UK equity indices edged higher after April consumer inflation cooled to an annual rate of 2.8%, below expectations. Markets weighed the data against recent signs of a weaker labour market and mixed signals on the Bank of England's next moves, while sector movers included aerospace and defence gains and a bounce in Marks & Spencer shares.
The average U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.56% for the week ended May 15, its highest level in seven weeks, driven by a global bond market selloff linked to elevated energy prices and stalled U.S.-Iran peace talks. Mortgage applications fell to a five-week low as adjustable-rate products remained notably cheaper than fixed-rate loans. T…
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday to underscore their comprehensive partnership and to publicly criticize U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense plans. The two leaders signed a lengthy joint statement and a package of additional agreements, while negotiators reported only a general…
President Prabowo Subianto told parliament that Indonesia will centralise exports of selected commodities under a government-appointed enterprise to capture greater state revenue and tighten oversight of natural resources. The initial list includes palm oil, coal and ferroalloy, with a three-month transition during which transactions will be monito…
Benchmark rice prices in Asia rose to their highest level in over a year amid mounting concern about regional harvests. Thai 5% broken white rice climbed to $446 a ton, marking a third straight week of gains and the highest price since February 2025. The US Department of Agriculture expects global rice production to fall in the 2026-27 season for t…
New rules issued by Chinese authorities specify implementation measures for a 2024 law, directing rapid construction of state-controlled strategic mineral reserve facilities, enforcing a minimum five-year on-site holding period and prohibiting mining or encroachment of state-held strategic minerals without approval from the State Council's natural …
UK average house prices were unchanged in March at £268,000 compared with a year earlier, marking the first 12-month period without growth in almost two years. Seasonally adjusted prices fell 0.2% in March, while higher energy costs and rising mortgage rates linked to the Iran conflict are weighing on the market.
Singapore is exploring a novel approach to AI product transparency: 'nutrition labels' for consumer applications that would spell out intended uses and limitations. The government, led by Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, is considering a voluntary rollout while also building testing and accreditation frameworks and attrac…
U.S. convertible bond issuance surged to about $34 billion in the first four months of 2026, more than double the same period a year earlier, with roughly half tied to AI-related activity. Corporates are favoring convertibles to finance capital expenditure for data centers, power and cloud infrastructure and to roll over pandemic-era convertibles a…
The Federal Reserve's minutes from the April 28-29 policy meeting are scheduled for release on Wednesday and are expected to expose deep divisions among policymakers on the outlook for interest rates and inflation. The meeting produced the most dissents since 1992 and coincided with the end of Jerome Powell's tenure as chair. With Kevin Warsh set t…
Initial alarm that Anthropic’s Mythos large language model would unleash a tidal wave of new hacking capability has moderated. Experts who have used Mythos say it marks a technical advance in vulnerability discovery but that organizational capacity, validation processes and substantial computing and harness requirements constrain how rapidly bad ac…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte dismissed Moscow's accusations that Baltic countries are permitting Ukrainian drones to traverse their airspace for strikes on Russia, calling those assertions "ridiculous." Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Rutte said the presence of drones tied to Ukraine is a consequence of Russia's illegal full-scale attack an…
Emmanuel Moulin, President Emmanuel Macron’s nominee to lead the 226-year-old Bank of France and a former chief of staff, told lawmakers he would run the central bank independently ahead of a closely contested parliamentary confirmation that could be blocked if three-fifths of finance committee members vote against him.
Bank Indonesia raised its policy rate by 50 basis points to 5.25% on Wednesday, a larger move than many economists expected. The increase appears aimed at supporting the rupiah, which has been under downward pressure. Analysts polled before the meeting were divided, and a research note flagged that the rate rise may only provide temporary relief un…
Bank Indonesia raised its key policy rates by 50 basis points on May 20, lifting the 7-day reverse repo rate to 5.25% and marking the first rate increase in two years. The move, larger than market forecasts, is aimed at stabilising the rupiah after a run of record lows and at pre-emptively keeping inflation within target ranges through 2027. Offici…
U.S. index futures hovered near flat on Wednesday as investors monitored developments in the Iran war, awaited Nvidia's quarterly results and anticipated potential IPO filings from SpaceX. Traders are also set to pore over minutes from the Federal Reserve's April meeting. Bond yields surged earlier in the week amid inflation concerns tied to the co…
Foreign net selling of Asian equities has accelerated in May, driven by concerns that war-related inflation and rising long-term U.S. borrowing costs will squeeze corporate margins. LSEG data show net disposals of $24.75 billion so far this month across exchanges in several Asian markets, with a record $17.27 billion sold in the past week. The jump…
Samsung Electronics’ labour union is set to begin an 18-day strike involving around 48,000 workers after bonus negotiations with management failed. Authorities are weighing an emergency arbitration order that would suspend the strike for 30 days and compel mediation, a measure rarely used and reserved for potential broad economic damage. Officials,…
