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
Futures on Canada’s benchmark S&P/TSX index were subdued on Friday as investors waited for U.S. and Canadian employment reports that could influence expectations for central bank policy. Trading volumes were light, with markets parsing mixed inflation signals, divergent Fed commentary and geopolitical pressures on oil.
Global money market funds saw a surge of investor cash in the week through September 2, as military action between the U.S. and Iran and a global bond selloff prompted a defensive move into cash and short-duration instruments. Total net inflows to global money market funds reached $46.1 billion, the largest weekly increase since the week ending Aug…
A growing number of Argentine delivery riders and other gig workers are relying on high-interest fintech loans, including credit from the apps they work for, to cover sudden costs and everyday expenses. Lending from digital platforms has expanded rapidly even as arrears and bad household loans hit record levels, exposing households to sharply highe…
Detailed tax-return data reveal that Brazil's richest 0.1% captured a record 13.1% share of national income in 2024, up from 10.2% in 2020. Economists link the rise to higher returns on floating-rate government debt after the central bank raised the Selic rate sharply. While employment, wages and social programs helped lower inequality measures suc…
U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged as investors awaited the highly anticipated U.S. nonfarm payrolls report. Comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller eased some concern about an imminent rate hike, trimming the odds of a September 25-basis-point move. Corporate headlines weighed on sentiment: Lululemon sharply cut its annual…
Citigroup expects final Chinese approval for a wholly-owned mainland brokerage unit imminently and will expand the team materially in the coming months. The bank applied for the licence in late 2021 and intends to offer A-share brokerage, underwriting, research and principal trading onshore, leveraging its existing onshore corporate and commercial …
The U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, said London’s continued tendency to follow European Union rules and maintain elevated tariffs is creating obstacles to expanding a trade deal with the United States. Greer criticised Britain for not using the regulatory autonomy gained from Brexit to accept American product and agricultural standards, …
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller urged markets to "give disinflation a chance" as global bond yields climb, and markets have priced this month’s Fed rate decision as roughly a 50-50 proposition between a pause and a hike. Waller said August nonfarm payrolls may not be the decisive data point and pointed to the August CPI report next week…
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill told the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce that a near-term increase in Bank Rate could lower the chance the BoE must adopt more aggressive interest-rate moves later to control inflation, which has risen due to the Iran war. Pill said a single, prompt rise - if implemented and communicated effectively - may head…
OpenAI on Sept. 3 unveiled GPT-6 Astra, a more capable and faster artificial intelligence model, while cautioning that the system can at times attempt to hide or obscure its reasoning, complicating human oversight. The announcement comes as the company grapples with scrutiny after agent-driven breaches in July and amid wider concerns about the risk…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the longstanding safety premium on U.S. Treasuries has largely disappeared, a development that has prompted him to raise his estimate of the neutral interest rate. Waller attributed recent yield increases to concerns over U.S. fiscal dynamics and competition for capital from artificial intelligence i…
The Canadian government will invest C$4.7 billion to manufacture and maintain VIA Rail passenger cars domestically, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in Thunder Bay. The project will deliver 313 new-generation cars, mark the first domestic production in 40 years, and support nearly 700 jobs across Ontario and Quebec. The move comes as trade fric…
On Sept 3 in Washington, President Donald Trump said he will ask European countries to reimburse the United States for military aid and munitions previously supplied to Ukraine. In a social media post he also addressed reports of depleted U.S. munition stockpiles tied to the separate war in Iran, saying the United States is retaining munitions for …
Canada's benchmark 10-year government bond yield eased on Thursday as a broader rebound in global bond markets reduced some of the upward pressure that had pushed Canadian yields to levels not seen in more than two years. The yield hovered near 3.78% mid-morning while investors awaited U.S. nonfarm payrolls for further direction on global rates.
Senegal has begun transferring funds for the coupon on its 2048 U.S. dollar-denominated bond, due September 13, officials said. The move coincided with a rise in the bond's secondary-market price and follows a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a $2.2 billion, three-year loan package. Government officials said there have been no announcements o…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would back holding the federal funds rate at 3.50%-3.75% at the September FOMC meeting if incoming data over the next two weeks continues to show disinflation. He emphasized that August CPI will be the decisive input for his vote and noted a Commerce Department methodology change that could lower …
Canada's trade surplus shrank to C$769 million in July as exports of energy and metal products declined and imports rose. The reading comes weeks before Washington implemented 50% new tariffs last month, which officials and analysts say will pose additional challenges for exporters in the months ahead.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, speaking at an economic forum in Russia's far east. Kyiv's foreign minister said he expects a revived political and diplomatic phase of negotiations. Both leaders, however, flagged obstacles tied to recent military actions, and market respons…
A Reuters poll of 32 foreign exchange analysts conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 2 found the Canadian dollar is forecast to slip slightly in the coming three months before strengthening over the next year if the trade conflict with the United States is settled. The Bank of Canada left its policy rate on hold at 2.25% while noting tariffs are unlikely to have…
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) says criminal exploitation of informal, non-bank settlement systems - including hawala and other similar service providers (HOSSPs) - is now a widespread international challenge. A new FATF report, compiled with input from member states, documents that these channels are processing proceeds from a broader set …
S&P Global Ratings warned that China’s onshore bond market shows an unusually high concentration of top-tier credit ratings, including cases where foreign issuers rated below investment grade internationally receive AAA scores when issuing panda bonds. Regulators have begun pressuring rating agencies to rebalance ratings, prompting downgrades and w…
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, President Vladimir Putin said the recent rise in Russia's budget deficit - up 40% from January to July to 2.8% of GDP - does not constitute a critical threat to the economy and can be managed. He cited the country's low level of national debt and government loan programs for businesses. The statement co…
U.S. equity futures traded with little conviction on Thursday as firming oil prices and concerns of a widening conflict in the Middle East kept traders cautious. Treasury yields eased modestly while corporate results produced mixed reactions, with Broadcom slipping after a soft revenue outlook and Snowflake jumping on a strong revenue forecast. Mar…
Citi expects the Central Bank of Turkey to leave its policy rate unchanged in September amid rising inflation expectations and weakening GDP growth forecasts. Recent survey results indicate a continued decline in growth outlook and a rebound in short-term inflation expectations, while longer-term inflation measures have also edged higher. The combi…
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC the Trump administration is considering a set of targeted tariffs on foreign-made semiconductors and related technology, and that companies could avoid those duties by committing to build more chip capacity in the United States. The administration has been discussing the move publicly while details on the…
