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.
5,083 total articles
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators he could not promise that payments from a newly created nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund would be barred from going to individuals who assaulted police, including participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Blanche said the disbursements will be decided by a five-member commission,…
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank will work closely with the government on the government bond market while long-term interest rates climb at a relatively fast pace. Speaking after a G7 meeting in Paris, Ueda said the BOJ will evaluate market functionality when questioned about tapering and will take appropriate steps to meet …
Brazil's central bank governor told lawmakers that inflation expectations for 2028 have become less anchored amid current supply shocks and signs of an overheated domestic economy. He said policy remains very restrictive while inflation pressures persist, pointed to the Iran war and El Nino as supply shocks, and disclosed an internal probe finding …
Indonesia has opened sales of dollar- and euro-denominated bonds as markets come under pressure linked to the Iran conflict. The sovereign is offering five- and 10-year dollar notes and €1.25 billion ($1.45 billion) in euro bonds, while taking measures including bond buybacks and tighter control over commodity exports to curb capital outflows and r…
A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general from 23 states plus the District of Columbia, joined by the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, filed suit in federal court in Maryland challenging a Department of Education rule that implements recent federal loan caps. The plaintiffs say the rule unlawfully narrows the definition of 'professio…
A New York Fed official overseeing open market operations said the Federal Reserve’s current framework for controlling interest rates remains effective even if banks hold fewer reserves. The official also noted that recent Treasury bill purchases to rebuild liquidity will be adjusted based on market conditions and that the Fed is prepared to change…
The Institute of International Finance has trimmed South Africa's 2026 growth projection amid rising energy prices linked to the Middle East conflict. The IIF said higher fuel costs, greater dependence on Gulf Cooperation Council supplies, and shifts in market interest-rate expectations are clouding an otherwise improving outlook. The fund manager …
UK government bond yields climbed across maturities on Tuesday afternoon, with the strongest advances concentrated in shorter-dated gilts. Mid- and long-dated yields also moved higher. The 1-30 year yield spread was effectively unchanged versus the prior close. Equity and credit indicators showed limited reaction.
Brazil's central bank governor told a Senate hearing that the heavy weight of sovereign debt tied to the Selic rate reduces the effectiveness of monetary tightening because higher rates translate into greater income for bondholders. With the Selic at 14.50% and inflation running above the 3% target, the central bank warned about compounding risks f…
A banking syndicate led by JPMorgan has placed a loan sale linked to Warner Bros Discovery to refinance a portion of a $15 billion bridge facility and to cover associated fees and expenses. The package includes a $5 billion term loan and a 1 billion euro loan maturing in 2033, with a lender call scheduled for Wednesday. The move comes as the compan…
NATO is weighing whether to provide military assistance to vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz if the waterway stays blocked into early July, according to alliance sources. The debate marks a departure from an earlier stance that any intervention would wait until the US-Israel-Iran conflict ends and a broader coalition outside NATO could be for…
Brazil's central bank said it will not issue forward guidance on future interest-rate moves as uncertainty from the Middle East conflict continues to affect energy prices and inflation. Monetary policy director Nilton David reiterated that the bank has reduced rates twice by 25 basis points to 14.50% but will hold borrowing costs in restrictive ter…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged international partners to take stronger steps to break Iran's financing mechanisms and said the Treasury will remove obsolete sanctions designations to help banks better target sophisticated terrorist finance and sanctions evasion. The remarks came at an anti-terrorism financing conference after a G7 fina…
Microsoft says its largest data center in India is progressing toward a mid-2026 launch as the company expands infrastructure to meet strong demand for Azure cloud and its $30-per-month Copilot 365 AI assistant. The Hyderabad site will be the firm’s biggest in the country and part of a broader multi-billion dollar investment push; Microsoft is also…
Canada's consumer price index rose 2.8% year over year in April, the fastest pace since May 2024 but short of the 3.1% economists had forecast. The increase was driven largely by a surge in gasoline and other fuel costs linked to global energy market disruption and seasonal fuel blends. Strip out transportation fuel and inflation moderated, with sh…
Canada's year-over-year consumer price index rose to 2.8% in April, up from 2.4% in March, driven primarily by a sharp increase in gasoline prices after the Iran war pushed global crude oil prices higher. Monthly inflation was 0.7%. Core inflation measures moderated, while several categories including food, rents and passenger vehicles recorded ann…
Nilton David, monetary policy director at Brazil's central bank, told a Santander-hosted event that policymakers are worried inflation expectations - particularly for 2028 - are drifting away from the 3% target. He said the economy is no longer growing above potential and that the bank will keep policy in contractionary territory until it is confid…
KPMG has formed a global alliance with Anthropic to deploy the Claude AI system throughout its operations, embedding the technology into the firm's Digital Gateway platform used for tax and legal services. The move will give more than 276,000 employees across 138 countries access to Claude, extend AI capabilities into private equity portfolio work,…
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven issued a joint communiqué calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The ministers underscored heightened global economic uncertainty, pledged to monitor impacts on growth and financial markets, urged restraint on export restrictions and pushed for stronger I…
A survey of economists conducted May 14-19 shows a majority now expect the Federal Reserve to keep its policy rate unchanged through much of the year, deferring previously widely-anticipated cuts into next year. The shift follows an energy-led surge in inflation since the start of the war in Iran, which most forecasters still regard as transitory e…
Kevin Brunner, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global chair of investment banking and mergers and acquisitions, said artificial intelligence has moved beyond speculative hype into practical implementation and scaling. Speaking at the bank’s global technology, media and communications conference in Boston, Brunner described AI as a driving factor in how corp…
CMB.Tech chief executive Alexander Saverys said uncertainty persists over the impact of any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on tanker freight rates. While some expect a restocking-driven spike in demand that would lift rates, Saverys warned that a slow restart of Middle East exports combined with vessels re-entering the market could create an ove…
Standard Chartered Plc announced plans to pare more than 15% of its support workforce by 2030, citing a move toward increased use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations. The decision, unveiled at a Hong Kong briefing, will affect a portion of roughly 52,000 support-role employees recorded at the end of last year across India, China, Po…
UK equity markets rose on May 19 after official labour data signalled a cooling jobs market. The FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 advanced as investors pared back the immediacy of a Bank of England rate increase. Market participants and economists reacted to payroll declines and a modest rise in the unemployment rate, while certain sectors and individual firm…
Incoming Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh has suggested that the Fed’s independence may not fully extend to its crisis-management operations abroad, prompting concern among central banking peers that any retrenchment could unsettle global markets. Policymakers say the dollar’s dominant role and existing swap lines make the Fed a crucial ba…
