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.
7,192 total articles
U.S. and European equity markets closed the month with significant quarterly gains, driven largely by technology and artificial intelligence sectors, despite a difficult June for individual monthly performance. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded their strongest quarterly percentage increases in recent years, alongside Europe's STOXX 600. However, this…
The U.S. Justice Department has told federal prosecutors to make investigations into birth tourism a priority after the Supreme Court declined the administration's attempt to limit birthright citizenship. In a memo circulated to staff, senior DOJ official Colin McDonald said people who enter the country under "false pretenses" to give birth and sec…
A U.S. federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the Trump administration from enforcing a new Department of Education rule that would have removed public service workers from eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness. The ruling sides with a coalition of Democratic-led states, municipalities, and nonprofits, who successfully argued …
US property claim volumes contracted significantly in the first quarter of 2026, extending a downward trend that has persisted since the beginning of 2025. According to data from Verisk, the overall drop in claim volume was 8.9% year-over-year, with total claims sitting 13.13% below the five-year historical average. This reduction occurred despite …
A United States federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing a recently finalized rule regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled in favor of a coalition comprising Democratic-led states, municipal governments, and nonprofit organizations. The …
The US Treasury announced sanctions on Tuesday against two Mexican citizens and nine companies alleged to have facilitated a cross-border fuel-smuggling enterprise tied to the Cartel del Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). Authorities say the individuals and their firms moved tens of millions of dollars through U.S. financial channels and took part in…
A group of hardline House Republicans blocked a procedural motion to begin debate on a major defense policy bill, insisting that the chamber advance stricter federal voter identification and citizenship requirements embodied in the SAVE America Act. The move exposed divisions within the GOP and left the defense measure stalled after a 224-198 vote.
The Federal Communications Commission will vote on July 22 on an order to hold a 2027 auction of 160 megahertz in the Upper C-Band, a mid-band slice prized for 5G. Legislation mandated at least 100 megahertz be auctioned; the FCC says it intends to free significantly more and expects the sale to generate billions of dollars. Proposed rules include …
ECB Governing Council member Primoz Dolenc said the bank could hold interest rates at its July meeting provided the situation in the Middle East does not deteriorate further and energy costs stay near current levels. He emphasized that a pause would be appropriate only if commodity market shocks do not spread and second-round inflation effects do n…
Over its nine-month term, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a string of decisions that broadly advanced conservative priorities on the bench - from regulatory authority and immigration to election law and culture-war disputes - while simultaneously rejecting key bids by the president to expand control over monetary policy and to reinterpret birthright …
Mercosur announced the start of formal negotiations with Japan for an economic partnership agreement during a leaders summit in Asuncion, aiming to deepen market access, investment and value-chain integration. The bloc — comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — said the pact would create a free-trade area covering about 400 million peop…
The Brazilian government has begun scaling back emergency fuel subsidies, starting with diesel, as part of a move to signal tighter fiscal management. The change partially reverses temporary tax cuts and subsidy measures introduced after an oil price surge tied to the Iran conflict. The decision comes as Brazil records a large nominal budget defici…
European Central Bank policymakers are discussing a proposal to raise the share of customer deposits banks must hold as non-remunerated minimum reserves from 1% to 2%. The measure, described by six sources, would trim the Eurosystem's interest bill tied to excess liquidity built up during past stimulus programmes, while also removing some of the su…
European Central Bank Governing Council member Olli Rehn said the conflict in the Middle East is both pushing up inflation and weighing on economic growth, a combination he characterized as stagflationary in nature though less severe than the 1970s. Speaking to Bloomberg Television in Sintra, Portugal, Rehn said he does not expect major second-roun…
Slovenian central bank governor Primoz Dolenc said at the ECB Forum on Central Banking in Sintra that a quicker-than-expected fall in energy prices could allow the European Central Bank to postpone its next interest rate decision until the September projections. He stressed the bank will follow incoming data, noting inflation has not yet shown clea…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said on June 30 that she could support additional interest-rate increases if elevated inflation does not ease. Speaking on CNBC, Hammack emphasized that inflation has been too high for five years and said she remains open-minded heading into each Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The com…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said Tuesday she remains prepared to support higher interest rates if elevated inflation persists. Speaking to CNBC, Hammack described core inflation and services inflation as particular concerns, noted upward pressure from investment in artificial intelligence, and said the labor market and …
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told CNBC in Sintra that the central bank is not in a hurry to counter recent increases in oil prices. He said inflation is projected to rise to about 3.2% later this year but remains on course to return to the 2% target, albeit later than desired. Bailey pointed to tightening already present in the bond yield…
Australian home values fell 0.4% in June compared with May, the sharpest single-month drop since December 2022, according to Cotality. The decline reflects weaker buyer demand driven by higher borrowing costs and recent property tax measures, though national prices are still 7.3% higher over the past year.
U.S. Treasury yields rose on Tuesday after the Labor Department reported a slight increase in job openings for May, though the 10-year Treasury remained positioned to halt a three-month advance. The JOLTS report showed job openings climbed by 9,000 to 7.594 million, surpassing the consensus forecast of 7.30 million. Yields briefly extended gains on…
US consumer confidence recorded a modest rise in June, climbing 0.6 point to 91.2, as falling gasoline costs helped alleviate inflation worries. The Conference Board reported that while the component tracking present business conditions fell, the expectations gauge for the next six months registered gains. Labor-market sentiment showed signs of sof…
Global equity markets have recorded a net gain of roughly $7 trillion in the first half of the year despite a severe March sell-off tied to the Iran war. A powerful rally in AI-related assets, outsized gains in select Asian markets and extreme currency moves - especially in the yen - have created a volatile environment for investors as yields, comm…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached agreement on a $125.8 billion city budget for fiscal year 2027 as the June 30 fiscal year end approached. The package includes new and baselined rental-assistance funding, an expansion of the Fair Fares transit subsidy, restored cultural and parks funding, college savin…
Job openings in the United States increased modestly in May to 7.594 million, while hiring fell, suggesting the labor market remained range-bound despite three months of solid payroll gains. Revisions showed April openings were slightly lower than previously reported. Layoffs ticked up and markets continue to anticipate further Federal Reserve rate…
National home values in Australia fell 0.4% in June from May, marking the largest monthly decline since December 2022, according to Cotality. Prices remain higher year-to-date but revisions show a March peak and a second-quarter fall. Mortgage enquiries, auction clearances and sales volumes all point to a slower market, while the Reserve Bank of Au…
