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.
6,589 total articles
The average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages edged down to 6.36% from 6.37% last week, even as April inflation accelerated on higher gasoline and grocery prices. Housing indicators were mixed: Redfin reported a 2.4% annual rise in the median home price in April, along with stronger pending sales and rising active listings, but the spring buying seas…
Labour MP Josh Simons intends to resign his Makerfield seat in Greater Manchester, a move that would prompt a by-election and create a possible pathway for Mayor Andy Burnham to return to the House of Commons. The development could increase pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid talk of a leadership challenge, though internal party mechanisms…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects recent spikes in inflation to be temporary and caused largely by energy disruptions tied to the Iran war. Speaking from President Donald Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Bessent forecasted one or two additional strong inflation readings before a period of substantial disinflation, ci…
International Monetary Fund staff are scheduled to travel to Ukraine in the coming weeks to assess how Kyiv is implementing agreed economic reforms and efforts to widen its tax base under an $8.1 billion program, a spokesperson said. Officials emphasized the need for Ukraine to mobilize domestic financing alongside donor assistance and to bring a s…
Prime Minister Mark Carney published a federal electricity strategy on Thursday that sets an objective to double Canada’s electricity generation capacity by 2050. The plan signals regulatory adjustments to allow greater use of natural gas in power generation, estimates the expansion will cost more than C$1 trillion, and promises consultations with …
Admiral Brad Cooper told lawmakers that U.S. forces have destroyed over 90% of Iran's roughly 8,000 naval mines through more than 700 airstrikes, but he did not specify how many mines were already deployed in the Strait of Hormuz. Cooper framed the campaign as significantly degrading Iran's conventional weapons production and defenses while acknowl…
Russia’s benchmark Urals export blend has reached its highest tax valuation since October 2023. The finance ministry will use an average May Urals price of $94.87 per barrel and an exchange rate of 76.938 rubles per dollar to calculate oil producer taxes, producing a tax price of nearly 7,300 rubles per barrel. The rise in dollar oil prices follows…
Wolfe Research cautions that monetary policy outside the United States may head in a different direction from the Federal Reserve, with the Bank of Japan the critical unknown. The firm says energy-price dynamics and the BOJ's internal divisions raise the possibility of a split between global tightening and Fed holding or easing, and identifies two …
Import prices in the United States rose 1.9% in April, driven by a 16.3% monthly increase in imported fuel — the largest fuel jump since March 2022. On a 12-month basis, import prices climbed 4.2%, the biggest annual gain since October 2022. Broader increases across capital goods, consumer goods and imports from major trading partners underscore up…
Top brokerages project continued gains for the S&P 500 in 2026, leaning on artificial intelligence-driven momentum and robust corporate earnings to counteract the short-term economic effects of disruptions to Middle East energy flows. Forecasters flagged the possibility that sustained higher oil prices would heighten recession risks and lift inflat…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged sweeping economic reforms for the European Union while rejecting proposals for joint EU borrowing. Speaking at a ceremony honoring Mario Draghi in Aachen, Merz stressed Germany's constitutional limits on taking on shared debt and warned that Europe faces a more hostile global environment after the return of Do…
Venezuela has formally begun a wide-ranging process to restructure its sovereign debt and obligations tied to the state oil company, officials said Wednesday, following the easing of U.S. sanctions earlier in the year. The finance ministry framed the move as a necessary step to free public resources for investment in basic services and productive r…
Polestar's chief executive says surging fuel prices have changed how consumers evaluate electric vehicles, prompting growing interest in both new and used models. The company reported a $383 million net loss in the first quarter amid pricing pressures, intensifying competition and tariffs, even as volumes rose 7% year-on-year. Geopolitical disrupti…
The United States and China announced a protocol setting out best practices for artificial intelligence as President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for a two-day summit. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is able to have substantive AI discussions with Beijing because the United States is ahead in AI cap…
Yardeni Research says the Federal Reserve's tilt toward easing is becoming harder to justify and may soon be replaced by a tightening orientation. The firm argues a 2026 rate cut is "essentially off the table," citing renewed inflation momentum, five consecutive years above the Fed's 2% goal, inflationary pressures from AI infrastructure investment…
OPEC+ leaders have agreed to continue monthly increases in official oil quotas through September to complete the rollback of production reductions introduced in 2023. Delegates say the technical restoration will proceed in planned stages, but actual supply growth is impeded by a blockade on Persian Gulf exports tied to the Iran conflict that began …
The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China soon, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying preparations for the visit have been completed. The trip will add to a long record of meetings between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping; the two last met in Beijing in September. The announcement coincides wi…
A White House readout of a leadership summit published Thursday states that President Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump China is interested in buying more U.S. oil as a way to reduce dependence on shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Chinese state media made no mention of the oil discussions, and China’s foreign ministry has not i…
China recorded a contraction in new yuan loans in April, with lending shrinking by 10 billion yuan—the first monthly decline since July 2025. The shortfall came amid seasonal front-loading of credit, soft domestic demand tied to a prolonged property slump and fragile private-sector confidence, even as broader monetary aggregates continued to grow.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from within his own party after a difficult set of local election results. Reports that his health minister may resign to mount a leadership bid, and a public call for reflection from his former deputy, have intensified scrutiny on his future. The government says it will press on, whil…
The British government has affirmed plans to change the regulatory framework for money market funds, mandating higher liquidity holdings and measures to ease asset sales during episodes of market stress. The reforms follow regulatory work since the March 2020 market dislocation and a 2023 consultation, and the new regime is expected to be in place …
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the National Bank of Romania to maintain its policy rate at 6.50% at the May 15 meeting. The bank is likely to raise its inflation projection, which should produce a hawkish press-conference tone while dropping explicit forward guidance. Rate increases are judged unlikely; liquidity tools and exchange-rate dy…
Turkey’s central bank raised its interim inflation target for end-2026 to 24% from 16%, and adjusted targets for subsequent years, citing continued inflationary pressure from the Iran war and uncertainty over energy supplies. Governor Fatih Karahan made the announcement during the bank’s quarterly inflation report presentation in Istanbul and stres…
U.S. equity futures rose as investors balanced renewed enthusiasm for artificial intelligence against a high-profile summit between President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. Oil prices remain elevated above $100 a barrel as markets await any Iran-related outcomes from the talks. Cisco announced a large restructuring focused on AI, while the U.…
A Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) industry survey shows British house prices falling more steeply in April, driven by elevated borrowing costs that have cooled buyer activity. Forward-looking measures point to further near-term softness, with notable regional divergence between the South and the North and continued pressure in the l…
