Economy

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.

Articles

907 total articles

BoE Chief Economist Sees Underlying U.K. Inflation Settling Around 2.5%

BoE Chief Economist Sees Underlying U.K. Inflation Settling Around 2.5%

Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said underlying inflation in the U.K. appears to be stabilizing near 2.5% annually, above the BoE's 2% target. Pill made the comment in London and noted that removing a half percentage-point budget effect would leave the April/May forecast at about 2.5%. He recently voted with a narrow majority to keep the B…

Futures Flat Ahead of CPI; Markets Weigh AI-Led Volatility and Fed Outlook

Futures Flat Ahead of CPI; Markets Weigh AI-Led Volatility and Fed Outlook

U.S. stock index futures were largely unchanged following an AI-related market selloff that extended beyond software into brokerages and transportation. Traders stayed cautious ahead of the January Consumer Price Index due at 8:30 a.m. ET, a report that could affect expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Major index futures drifted lower in ea…

Billionaire Moon Race Intensifies as Musk and Bezos Reorient Space Ambitions

Billionaire Moon Race Intensifies as Musk and Bezos Reorient Space Ambitions

Elon Musk has repositioned SpaceX toward developing a lunar base and lunar-launch infrastructure, while Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has concentrated resources on its Blue Moon lander ahead of an uncrewed flight this year. Both companies are advancing projects that NASA funds and that are intended to support astronaut landings, with industry players an…

Bank of Russia trims key rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% as growth cools

Bank of Russia trims key rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% as growth cools

The Bank of Russia lowered its policy rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% on Friday, aiming to support an economy that has slowed after earlier aggressive rate hikes. Officials said future adjustments will hinge on whether the recent easing in inflation is sustained and on the behaviour of inflation expectations, while projecting an average key rate i…

EU Trade Surplus Narrows as U.S. Tariffs and Chinese Imports Weigh on Exports

EU Trade Surplus Narrows as U.S. Tariffs and Chinese Imports Weigh on Exports

The European Union's trade surplus declined to 12.9 billion euros in December from 13.9 billion a year earlier, driven by weaker machinery, vehicle and chemical exports. A 12.6% fall in exports to the United States cut the surplus with that market by about a third to 9.3 billion euros, while the bloc's deficit with China widened to 26.8 billion eur…

BofA Revises March Rate-Cut Call for Turkey to 50bp, Cites Stickier Inflation

BofA Revises March Rate-Cut Call for Turkey to 50bp, Cites Stickier Inflation

Bank of America has trimmed its expected March rate cut from 100 basis points to 50 basis points for the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, citing stronger-than-expected inflation readings and persistent CPI pressures. The bank now projects a March policy rate of 36.50%, a subsequent return to 100bp easing per meeting from April, and a year-en…

China-Origin Drug Licensing Set to Surge Again as Pipeline Draws Global Buyers

China-Origin Drug Licensing Set to Surge Again as Pipeline Draws Global Buyers

Global pharmaceutical companies are accelerating purchases of China-developed experimental medicines as they aim to cut costs ahead of looming patent expirations. Licensing deal values tied to the greater China region jumped to an unprecedented $137.7 billion last year, and industry advisers say the total could grow substantially again over the nex…

Swiss inflation holds at lower edge of SNB’s 0-2% band

Swiss inflation holds at lower edge of SNB’s 0-2% band

Switzerland’s headline inflation rate was unchanged at 0.1% in January, keeping it at the bottom of the Swiss National Bank’s 0-2% target range. Core inflation, which excludes fresh and seasonal food, energy and fuel, stood at 0.5%. Month-on-month consumer prices slipped 0.1%, driven by lower electricity costs and cheaper clothing and footwear. Eco…

European and Asian Equities Attract Heavy Flows as U.S. Stocks See Outflows

European and Asian Equities Attract Heavy Flows as U.S. Stocks See Outflows

In the week through February 11, global equity funds recorded a fifth consecutive weekly inflow of $25.54 billion, driven largely by substantial purchases of European and Asian equities. European funds logged $17.53 billion - the strongest weekly intake since at least 2022 - while Asian funds took in about $6.28 billion. U.S. equity funds experienc…

Ukraine Says IMF Board Sign-off on $8.2 Billion Programme Likely Within Weeks

Ukraine Says IMF Board Sign-off on $8.2 Billion Programme Likely Within Weeks

Ukraine's debt management chief says formal approval of an $8.2 billion International Monetary Fund programme should arrive imminently, a largely procedural but politically significant step as Kyiv navigates large fiscal gaps and wartime financial constraints. The deal is intended to replace a prior $15.6 billion facility and help sustain public ex…

Starmer to Propose Joint Weapons Procurement to Trim Rearmament Costs

Starmer to Propose Joint Weapons Procurement to Trim Rearmament Costs

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer intends to urge Western partners to pursue a coordinated defense-procurement program aimed at lowering the cost of rearmament by pooling purchases and standardizing equipment. The proposal, to be raised at the Munich Security Conference, responds to a projected UK defense funding shortfall of up to A328 billion o…

Tech rout reverberates as Cisco profit fears and AI job anxiety hit markets

Tech rout reverberates as Cisco profit fears and AI job anxiety hit markets

A renewed wave of selling in technology stocks gathered pace after Cisco warned that rising memory-chip costs had eroded margins, rekindling investor anxiety about profit growth. The rout spread across software, logistics and major consumer tech names, while safe-haven assets and Treasuries drew buying. Markets now await U.S. CPI for January and a …

Malaysia Posts Strongest Annual Expansion Since 2022 as 2025 Growth Tops Forecasts

Malaysia Posts Strongest Annual Expansion Since 2022 as 2025 Growth Tops Forecasts

Malaysia's economy recorded 5.2% growth in 2025, its fastest pace in three years and above official projections, driven by household spending, exports and investment. Fourth-quarter GDP surged 6.3% year-on-year, beating expectations, while authorities anticipate continued resilience in 2026 amid manageable inflation and a supportive exchange rate b…

White House Weighs Narrowing Scope of Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

White House Weighs Narrowing Scope of Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

The administration is examining whether to remove some steel and aluminum products from existing tariffs and to curb further expansions of the tariff list, while planning more focused national security inquiries into specific goods. The review follows criticism that the levies function as a tax on American consumers and businesses, with a recent Ne…

January’s start-of-year price moves likely pushed U.S. consumer inflation higher

January’s start-of-year price moves likely pushed U.S. consumer inflation higher

Economists expect U.S. consumer prices to have risen in January by roughly 0.3% month-on-month, driven by typical start-of-year price increases, the pass-through from broad tariffs and stronger electricity demand from data centers. The Labor Department’s CPI report arrives after stronger job growth and a modest fall in the unemployment rate, and wi…

Japan's Core Inflation Seen Cooling for Second Month in January

Japan's Core Inflation Seen Cooling for Second Month in January

A Reuters poll of 17 economists indicates Japan's nationwide core consumer price index - which includes energy but excludes fresh food - likely rose 2.0% year-on-year in January, easing for a second consecutive month from December's 2.4% increase. Analysts attribute the moderation chiefly to lower gasoline costs after a provisional tax cut and a de…