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
China's U.N. ambassador Fu Cong said the Iran ceasefire must endure and urged the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened promptly, calling on both Iran and the United States to remove constraints. He dismissed U.S. allegations of China-Iran military cooperation as untrue and signaled the issue could feature in upcoming bilateral talks during a U.S. presid…
The chair of the European Parliament's trade committee criticized President Donald Trump's decision to raise U.S. tariffs on vehicles imported from the EU to 25% next week, calling the move evidence that the United States is an unreliable trading partner. The EU lawmaker said the bloc will respond firmly and noted the European Parliament is draftin…
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union will rise to 25% next week, citing the EU's failure to honor an agreed trade deal. He said vehicles produced at U.S. plants will not be subject to the increase and highlighted more than $100 billion in current investment into American auto an…
The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has warned that vessels or entities that make payments to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz could face sanctions. The advisory highlights a range of possible payment forms and names charitable organizations as potential recipients of nominal donations that would not insulate payers fr…
Inflation in Lima accelerated to 4.01% year-over-year in April, marking a sixth straight monthly increase and the highest annual reading since October 2023. Monthly prices rose 0.52% in April, down from March's 2.38% jump. The March surge, the largest monthly increase in 32 years, was driven by a domestic gas crisis, higher global oil prices, and a…
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan said she dissented from language in this week’s Federal Open Market Committee statement because ongoing inflation risks and an uncertain economic outlook make it inappropriate to signal a preference for a rate cut. Logan backed the decision to keep the fed funds target at 3.5% to 3.75% and warned…
Lorie Logan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said on Friday that ongoing uncertainty and persistent inflation concerns mean the Federal Open Market Committee should avoid signaling that its next policy move will be a rate cut. She dissented against wording in the FOMC statement suggesting a bias toward cuts, while supporting the de…
A Reuters review of Securities and Exchange Commission filings from 74 private credit funds, or business development companies (BDCs), finds only about $15 billion of $84 billion in assets maturing this year. The largest concentration of maturities is projected for 2028 and 2029, reducing immediate refinancing pressure for many borrowers but leavin…
Canada’s manufacturing sector recorded its strongest expansion in nearly four years in April, driven largely by inventory accumulation and a rise in new orders as energy market disruptions tied to the Middle East pushed firms to secure supplies and hedge prices. The S&P Global Canada Manufacturing PMI climbed to 53.3 from 50.0 in March, with output…
Opay Digital Services Ltd. is preparing a U.S. initial public offering with a target valuation of about $4 billion. The Nigeria-focused payments platform has engaged Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan to work on the offering and is backed by SoftBank Group. The share sale may take place later this year, amid growing activity in Nigeria's fintech…
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack dissented from the Federal Open Market Committee's post-meeting statement, objecting to language that she says signals an easing bias. While she supported keeping the federal funds rate unchanged at the meeting, Hammack argued the phrase pointing to "additional adjustments" is no longer appropriate g…
The United States has publicly criticised Zambian authorities for failing to engage on a planned health memorandum of understanding that would govern more than $1 billion in U.S. assistance. Outgoing U.S. ambassador Michael Gonzales said repeated outreach went unanswered and an April 30 deadline passed without a signed agreement, leaving funding to…
Lazard reported a 67% increase in first-quarter net income as client demand under volatile market conditions boosted its asset management business. Average assets under management rose to $266 billion from $231 billion a year earlier, supporting a 42% jump in asset management revenue and helping lift group net revenue 17% to $757 million. Managemen…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed Katherine Szarama in the role of acting director for its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research following the departure of Vinay Prasad. The center is responsible for oversight of vaccines, gene therapies and the nation’s blood supply. Commissioner Marty Makary has said a permanent replacement …
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari dissented from the FOMC policy statement, supporting a hold in the federal funds rate but opposing language that effectively signals a forthcoming rate cut. Citing heightened uncertainty tied to the conflict in Iran and its effects on energy prices and inflation expectations, Kashkari argued …
Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari said geopolitical disruptions tied to the war with Iran could push global energy prices far higher and compel the Federal Reserve to pursue a series of federal funds rate increases to protect its 2% inflation goal. He dissented at the Fed meeting, arguing the policy statement's language implying an easing bia…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack dissented from the Federal Open Market Committee statement this week, arguing that the committee should drop language that implies a bias toward future rate cuts. Hammack said uncertainty around the economic outlook has grown in 2026, that inflationary pressures are broad based, and that risi…
The Competition and Markets Authority found that overall retailer margins at UK fuel stations held steady during the initial disruption from the Iran conflict, though margins remain at historically elevated levels. The regulator has stepped up monitoring and will investigate specific cases where margins increased between February and March. Local p…
A Bank of England quarterly survey of financial firms conducted April 15-17 found respondents did not anticipate the BoE raising interest rates this year but also no longer expected rate cuts. The median projected Bank Rate for the end of 2026 rose to 3.75% from a prior expectation of 3.25%, while interest rate futures imply at least two quarter-po…
European Central Bank Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf warned that energy prices may remain elevated for an extended period given the lack of a clear timeline for the end of the Middle East conflict. Writing on the Irish central bank's blog, he said he will closely monitor indirect cost-push inflation across production, transportation and …
S&P 500 and Dow futures inched up Friday following the indices' largest monthly gains in years. Strong corporate results, led by Apple, helped sustain the rally despite data showing faster inflation and a pick-up in first-quarter GDP. Concerns persist about weakening consumer spending, declining personal savings and the growing economic strain from…
Bank of Japan projections for money market conditions point to an unusually large net outflow that could signal up to 5.48 trillion yen ($35 billion) spent on yen-buying intervention. The divergence between projected outflows and market forecasts, together with reports of an intervention on Thursday, marks Tokyo's latest effort to steady the curren…
U.S. equity futures edged higher after record closes on Wall Street as investors digested a stronger-than-expected outlook from Apple alongside ongoing corporate earnings and heightened geopolitical tensions. Oil held weekly gains amid rising Iran-related risks, and the Japanese yen weakened toward the 157 level despite official intervention signal…
Japan's yen rallied sharply after senior officials signalled readiness to act in currency markets and official buying earlier in the week supported the fragile currency. Comments from top foreign exchange diplomat Atsushi Mimura, coupled with prior intervention and renewed rhetoric from Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, heightened speculation of f…
European Central Bank policymakers said they may need to tighten monetary policy, potentially as soon as June, citing a weakening inflation outlook and the risk that energy-driven price rises could spill over into broader goods and services inflation. While the ECB kept rates unchanged this week, senior officials warned higher rates remain a live o…
