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.
7,101 total articles
Treasury expansion of long-end buybacks briefly lowered long-term yields, but Barclays economists say the effect reversed quickly and that durable reductions in yields will require addressing structural forces lifting term premia. The bank cautions the Fed is unlikely to respond simply to rising long-term yields and sees incoming data supporting a …
Trade officials from the United States and Canada are engaged in intensive negotiations to establish a framework for steel and aluminum imports ahead of an impending midnight deadline. The discussion centers on implementing tariff-rate quotas that would apply a 25% levy on a portion of shipments while maintaining a 50% duty on volumes exceeding agr…
Sebastian Lechner, the CDU state chairman of Lower Saxony, has urged the European Union to quickly implement import tariffs on hybrid vehicles from China. A letter seen on Friday and subsequent comments from Lechner highlight concerns that subsidies explain roughly 60% of Chinese products' market share abroad and represent a distortion of competiti…
The U.S. Treasury raised the size of its buyback operations for longer-maturity securities to $4 billion per operation, aiming to counter what it says are long-term yields disconnected from economic fundamentals. The move follows a sharp rise in yields on 10- to 30-year debt amid competing capital demand and mounting government borrowing, and comes…
Statistics Canada reported a 0.6% rise in industrial producer prices in July versus June, reversing a 1.4% drop the prior month. The monthly gain was driven by higher energy and petroleum product prices and increases in primary non-ferrous metals. On an annual basis, industrial product prices were up 12.4%, unchanged from June.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly said Treasury market activity suggests monetary policy is appropriately positioned. She rejected concerns about the Fed's credibility and saw little urgency for preemptive rate moves. Recent selling in longer-dated Treasuries pushed 30-year yields to levels not seen since 2007, while a Treas…
U.S. federal debt has exceeded $40 trillion for the first time, while long-term government borrowing costs in the United States, Japan and parts of Europe are at multi-year highs. Aging populations, defence and climate-related spending, plus shifts in investor demand, are raising interest bills and pressuring fiscal policy across the Group of Seven…
The International Monetary Fund has welcomed parliamentary amendments to Lebanon's bank resolution law as a major development toward resolving a long-running financial crisis. The law alters governance at the Central Bank and empowers a Higher Banking Commission to make decisions on restructuring or liquidating banks. Authorities and IMF officials …
Mauritius announced that it has entered into long-term arrangements with India to import oil products. The deals, sealed during a visit by India’s Oil Minister Hardeep Puri, include a government-to-government memorandum on oil and gas cooperation and a sales and purchase agreement with Indian Oil covering petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. The Mauri…
The Department of the Treasury reported total U.S. public debt at $40.047 trillion, a figure that has more than doubled since January 2017. The surge reflects pandemic-era borrowing, ongoing deficits driven by mandatory entitlement spending and rising interest costs, and growing market pressure as investors demand higher yields on longer-term Treas…
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's July 28-29 meeting reveal growing concern among officials about broad-based price pressures. While the Fed held its policy rate at 3.50%-3.75%, several policymakers supported a quarter-point increase at the meeting and many signaled additional tightening would be necessary unless inflation moves back to the 2% tar…
North Korea dismissed recent assertions that its leader directly engaged in talks with President Donald Trump and characterized Washington's decision to scale back joint military drills with South Korea as inconsequential. Kim Yo Jong, speaking through state media KCNA, reiterated that despite a supposedly strong relationship between the two leader…
U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged on Wednesday following a technology-driven decline on Tuesday. Investors shifted focus to inflation prospects, rising government bond yields and heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East after conflicting statements about the Strait of Hormuz. Energy prices rose and chip shares tumbled as market p…
U.S. stock futures held near unchanged after a sector-driven selloff in semiconductors and a rise in global bond yields. Traders are awaiting minutes from the Federal Reserve's July policy meeting for clues on future rate moves. Retailers including Target and Lowe's will report quarterly results before the open, while chipmaker Analog Devices draws…
Japan is confronting a mounting bond-market rout that is eroding the assumptions underpinning Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s expansionary spending plans. With the 10-year yield flirting with 3% for the first time since the mid-1990s and core inflation proving unusually persistent, analysts say the government’s stops - temporary cuts to issuance or…
European stock indexes were largely unchanged as gains in basic resources stocks, supported by rising gold prices, offset nervousness tied to Middle East developments. Investors awaited minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve’s July meeting for direction on interest rates. Technology shares underperformed after a bond sell-off lifted yields and repor…
Long-term government bond yields remained near multi-decade highs as markets scrutinize whether the summer selloff reflects stronger growth prospects or persistent inflation and fiscal pressure. Attention centers on a $16 billion U.S. 20-year note auction and Federal Reserve minutes, while China’s Unitree and demand for hyperscaler debt highlight d…
OpenAI has announced a temporary slowdown in the pace of its AI model development while it rebuilds research and training systems after an autonomous testing agent breached another AI company. The lab has paused certain model testing for two weeks, halted training on its next-generation model Astra and placed its largest planned training run on hol…
U.S. officials have privately downplayed the likelihood of finalizing a deal with Canada before a looming midnight deadline that would trigger 50% tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods. Sources indicate negotiations face long odds despite a last-ditch call planned between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
A clear majority of economists surveyed expect the Bank of England to maintain its Bank Rate at 3.75% for the remainder of the year. Rising inflation readings and elevated oil prices pose upside risks, but labour market dynamics and limited second-round effects so far have given policymakers room to pause.
Single-family housing starts declined sharply in July, driven by elevated mortgage rates and a backlog of newly built homes. While permits for single-family construction edged higher, overall starts including multifamily units fell short of economists' expectations, and permits rose more than forecast.
Futures tied to Canada’s main equity index moved lower as investors contended with higher U.S. Treasury yields, continued instability in the Middle East and a looming deadline for new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Market participants monitored diplomatic efforts, potential retaliatory moves, and shifting commodity prices while U.S. futures also t…
Wolfe Research analysts say the monthslong confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has settled into a prolonged stalemate after a framework ceasefire lapsed. They argue that, given reports of covert oil flows from the Gulf, oil prices are likely to remain elevated but not catastrophic, and U.S. inflation and yields have so far shown resilience. Key…
Germany's ZEW investor sentiment index increased to 34.2 in August, beating the analyst consensus of 30.0 and improving from July's 26.3. ZEW President Achim Wambach linked the upswing to solid quarterly corporate results and high export volumes, while also highlighting federal infrastructure spending as supportive and low Rhine water levels as a n…
Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States implements conditions set out in an interim Memorandum of Understanding that has now expired. He listed measures including lifting a naval blockade of Iranian ports, unfreezing assets, removing oil sanct…
