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
Senior national security officials from the United Arab Emirates and Iran held an in-person meeting this week - their first since the US-Israeli war against Tehran began in late February. People familiar with the discussions say both sides see value in improving ties, with Abu Dhabi motivated by a desire to reduce tensions while safeguarding major …
The World Bank has lowered its projection for global GDP growth in 2026 to 2.5%, citing the economic fallout from the ongoing war in the Middle East. The bank says a more severe energy shock that disrupts markets could cut growth to 1.3%, while baseline assumptions include higher oil prices and a rise in headline inflation to 4%. Regional forecasts…
Kenya has revised its 2026 GDP growth projection down to 5.3%, Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said in the 2026-27 budget speech, attributing the adjustment to disruptions tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The government signalled that food prices should remain stable owing to favourable weather and a steady exchange rate, while near-t…
Romania's central bank has formally requested the Competition Council to clarify aspects of its antitrust findings against ten banks, asking which specific rules were breached and challenging comments suggesting that high transparency in trading could be harmful to markets. The bank also said recent increases in money-market rates should be attribu…
Emaar Properties has announced a master-planned urban district in Dubai covering 4.5 million square meters and carrying an estimated development value of 200 billion dirhams. The project is designed to host roughly 150,000 residents across five separate districts and will combine residential towers, villas and mansions with offices, retail, luxury …
A June 1-11 poll of property specialists finds that the sustained level of the 30-year mortgage rate, along with pricey homes, will leave U.S. residential turnover subdued this year and into 2025, with only modest price appreciation forecast. Economists polled separately no longer expect rate cuts this year while markets price a potential December …
The European Central Bank raised interest rates on Thursday, citing rising inflation pressures and the risk that higher energy costs tied to the Iran conflict will spread across the euro area. Inflation in the 21-country currency bloc remains above 3%, well above the ECB's 2% goal. Markets showed modest moves: the euro was little changed, short-ter…
Economists surveyed anticipate that Denmark's central bank will lift its current account rate by 25 basis points to 1.85% from 1.60% at 5 p.m. in Copenhagen, a move aligned with a similar increase by the European Central Bank and intended to uphold the krone's fixed exchange-rate arrangement with the euro.
The European Central Bank raised interest rates on Thursday in a widely signalled step aimed at preventing a surge in energy costs tied to the Iran war from translating into broader inflation. The bank upgraded its inflation outlook and trimmed growth forecasts, underscoring a delicate balance between reining in price pressures and avoiding a deepe…
The European Central Bank increased its main deposit rate to 2.25% from 2%, marking the first rate rise in nearly three years as officials seek to restrain inflation surging above target amid a jump in energy prices linked to the Iran war. Updated staff projections revise inflation higher for 2026 and growth lower for the year ahead.
Lazard says the rapid growth of complex debt instruments in emerging and frontier markets - including contingent bonds, GDP-linked notes and total return swaps - may increase borrowing costs and complicate or delay debt restructurings. The firm calls for enforceable transparency and warns investor exuberance may be underpricing risks.
Argentine sovereign bonds led gains in emerging-market debt after S&P Global Ratings raised the country's sovereign rating to B- from CCC+. The move, announced Wednesday, reflected improved fiscal outcomes and steps by the government to ease liquidity pressures for upcoming foreign-currency debt service. Notes maturing in 2035 were among the bigges…
U.S. Central Command reports that a U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel's crew repeatedly failed to follow directions from U.S. forces. CENTCOM said the Jalveer was attempting to transport Iranian oil through an American blockade. The action is …
A Bloomberg Z-score assessment of U.S. dollar-denominated investment grade technology debt shows select IBM and Dell bonds trading significantly tighter than their peer group averages, while several Broadcom-related securities displayed unusually wide spreads. The analysis highlights relative spread moves in primary tech issuers including Qualcomm …
Kazakhstan will raise its national minimum monthly wage in 2027, with the government to decide the exact increase after August 1. The current floor is 85,000 tenge (about $174) and was left unchanged for 2026. Officials are also weighing pay rises for government and other workers, while the central bank says the move is unlikely to materially boost…
Turkey's central bank left its policy rate unchanged at 37% on Thursday, the third straight meeting with no change, and kept the overnight lending rate at 40% and borrowing rate at 35.5%. The bank said it would continue to monitor inflationary effects from the Iran conflict after raising its end-2026 interim inflation target in May and noting prono…
The Kremlin said proposed European Union sanctions directed at Russian banks and cryptocurrency networks will not harm banks' operations or profits, arguing that the country’s largest lenders have functioned under long-standing restrictions without adverse effects. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cited ongoing central bank oversight and President P…
Serbia said it has cleared outstanding issues with Hungary's MOL Group concerning a potential transaction involving Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). Under the arrangement, Belgrade would acquire an additional 5% of NIS if MOL and Gazprom Neft complete a deal for the 56.15% stake currently held by the Russian parties, a move that would strengthen Ser…
UBS has moved its projection for the Federal Reserve's first interest-rate cut to March 2027, pointing to still-firm inflation measures and a robust labor market. The bank expects a second cut in June 2027 and sees the policy rate ultimately returning to a 3.00-3.25% range, while flagging mixed inflation readings and upside risks tied to energy and…
Pakistan’s annual economic survey projects real GDP growth of 3.7% for the fiscal year ending June 2026. The report highlights an average CPI inflation rate of 6.7% in the July-May period, a modest current account deficit of $252 million in July-April, and a trade shortfall of $23.53 billion from July to March. Fiscal metrics improved markedly, wit…
The National Bank of Serbia left its key policy rate unchanged at 5.75%, with the deposit and lending facilities held at 4.5% and 7.0%, respectively. Officials described the stance as wait-and-see, identifying a Middle East energy shock as the principal new factor affecting future decisions. The bank now explicitly anticipates a temporary breach of…
Pakistan will present a delayed 17.1-trillion-rupee budget for the year starting next month that prioritizes fiscal consolidation under IMF conditions. The plan seeks to shield the poorest through cash transfers while increasing the burden on formally registered businesses and salaried workers as politically powerful sectors remain hard to tax. Ris…
Ireland's annual consumer price inflation cooled to 3.6% in May from 3.7% in April, the Central Statistics Office reported. On a monthly basis the Consumer Price Index fell 0.1%, reversing April's 0.5% increase. Education services and clothing and footwear recorded the largest annual price gains. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which enabl…
India's aggregate fuel consumption in May came in at 19.93 million metric tons, down 6.5% from a year earlier, according to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell. The month saw mixed product-level movements: gasoline and diesel rose, liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha dropped sharply, bitumen declined substantially, and fuel oil use increased.
Deutsche Bank Research expects UK headline consumer price inflation to increase to 3.01% year-on-year in May 2026, with services inflation rebounding to 3.65% year-on-year. The bank warns of mounting price pressures as energy bill resets approach, and it has adjusted its full-year CPI and RPI forecasts while flagging upside risks tied to geopolitic…
