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
Citigroup said foreign purchases of U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds have been strong for 15 straight months as global investors shift allocations toward technology, media and telecom (TMT) debt and bonds maturing beyond 15 years, while trimming exposure to financial-sector issuance. The bank highlighted country-level inflows, rising Hong Kong…
Brazil's mid-April consumer-price gauge showed an annual rise of 4.37%, below economists' forecasts, and a monthly increase of 0.89%. The softer-than-expected outcome reinforces market expectations that the central bank will trim its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 14.50% at its upcoming meeting as policymakers weigh inflation pressur…
Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, said he will meet New York Governor Kathy Hochul to discuss the 'future direction' of the city after objections from the Miami-based firm to a mayoral proposal that used his name in a tax campaign targeting non-resident owners of New York City homes. Griffin made the comment during a panel at a Norges Bank I…
India's industrial production rose 4.1% year-on-year in March, the slowest increase in five months, as softer factory output and weak electricity generation weighed on overall growth. The March reading follows a revised 5.1% expansion in February and is the first monthly print after the outbreak of the Iran war triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes…
Federal judges in several states have dismissed Justice Department lawsuits seeking access to unredacted state voter rolls, a setback for the administration's campaign to broaden federal oversight of elections. The rulings, issued in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island, raise constitutional, privacy and statutory questions …
Canada’s prolonged housing downturn is weighing on household consumption even as the domestic stock market hits record highs and boosts aggregate household net worth by more than C$1 trillion in 2025. With house prices down sharply from their 2022 peak, the traditional wealth effect from housing is failing to materialize, limiting broader economic …
Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, has told lawmakers he wants robust debate at the central bank’s policymaking table. If confirmed, Warsh will step into a Federal Open Market Committee populated by officials divided over inflation risks, the health of the labor market, the proper role of the Fed’s balance sh…
Russia's central bank is weighing a rule that would require commercial banks to hold mandatory yuan reserves, aiming to ease shortages of the Chinese currency in the foreign-exchange market and to rein in outsized yuan lending. Governor Elvira Nabiullina flagged the proposal after yuan swap rates surged above 40% in March due to heavy lending and d…
China's central bank held a meeting in late April instructing some commercial banks to expand lending in April and to ensure outstanding loan balances post positive month-on-month growth, according to people familiar with the matter. The guidance, described by sources who declined to be named, reflects policymakers' concern about slowing credit exp…
Minutes from the Bank of Korea's latest policy meeting show the monetary policy board prefers to monitor developments linked to the Iran war before making further moves. The board left the policy rate at 2.50% on April 10, a decision anticipated by a poll of economists, and a strong majority of analysts expect no change through year-end despite con…
U.S. index futures were rangebound as markets digested reports that President Trump is unhappy with an Iranian offer to end the recent hostilities but delay nuclear talks. Corporate earnings take center stage with roughly a third of S&P 500 companies due to report, while OpenAI's internal revenue and user targets reportedly fell short, and BP logge…
Euro zone household inflation expectations climbed notably in March, according to the European Central Bank's monthly Consumer Expectations Survey. One-year expectations rose to 4.0% and three-year expectations to 3.0%, both exceeding the ECB's 2% medium-term goal. Five-year expectations edged only slightly higher to 2.4%. The survey also showed co…
A European Central Bank survey found that banks across the euro area tightened access to credit in the three months to March and anticipate additional constriction in the quarter to June. The ECB said the conflict in Iran, which began in late February, has pushed up energy prices and funding costs and was cited by banks as a driver of reduced risk …
Minutes from the Bank of Korea's previous monetary policy meeting show the board favors a cautious, wait-and-see approach, citing heightened uncertainty from the Iran war and the need to monitor its effects on growth and inflation. The board left the benchmark rate unchanged at 2.50% on April 10, a decision that matched economists' expectations. Po…
Ukraine has been urged to pass legislation imposing value-added tax on low-value parcels arriving from abroad to keep its $8.1 billion International Monetary Fund programme on track ahead of a June review. Lawmakers have so far withheld support for the draft, leaving Kyiv in negotiations with the IMF and raising the prospect of delayed or lost inte…
The Bank of Japan left policy rates unchanged, even as three of nine policymakers advocated raising borrowing costs. Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank had significantly raised its price outlook and is closely watching risks that a supply shock tied to the Middle East conflict could push inflation higher, potentially prompting a future rate …
The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate steady at a guided overnight call rate of 0.75% while flagging a higher-than-expected path for inflation in fiscal 2026 and warning that surging oil and energy prices stemming from the Middle East war could slow growth and squeeze corporate profits. The decision was split, with three of nine board members favo…
The Bank of Japan kept its short-term policy rate at 0.75% after a two-day meeting, but three of nine board members dissented, preferring a rise to 1.0%. The split underscores concern about inflationary pressure linked to the Middle East conflict and has market participants watching Governor Kazuo Ueda’s post-meeting remarks for guidance on the tim…
The Japanese yen traded flat in Asian hours as markets awaited the Bank of Japan’s policy announcement, the first of several major central bank decisions this week. The BOJ is widely expected to maintain its policy rate at 0.75%. Geopolitical uncertainty from the Iran war is shaping central bank caution, while U.S. monetary policy developments and …
Asian equities remained close to record levels while the dollar held steady as investors balanced geopolitical risks in the Middle East against looming megacap earnings and a busy central bank calendar. The Bank of Japan is expected to pause on rates while offering guidance on its future path; oil prices climbed amid continued disruptions around th…
The Department of Homeland Security reported that over 1,000 Transportation Security Administration officers have departed since a funding shutdown began in mid-February. The agency said staffing losses accelerated over the spring as 50,000 TSA employees endured six weeks without pay, producing extended security wait times at some airports. Politic…
A survey of economists finds India’s headline growth forecasts largely unchanged, yet warns that the country’s extensive informal sector is already feeling the impact of Middle East tensions that are disrupting fuel supplies. Limited real-time data on fuel costs, employment, consumption and small enterprises makes it difficult to quantify the hit, …
U.S. President Donald Trump and his national security advisers have expressed skepticism about Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while postponing talks on its nuclear program, according to reporting that cites U.S. officials. While not rejecting the overture outright, Trump questioned Iran's willingness to negotiate in good faith and t…
A committee of the House of Lords has recommended that Finance Minister Rachel Reeves adopt an explicit target to lower public debt from its current level within three years, arguing that the government's existing fiscal rules are insufficient to prevent a long-term rise in debt as a share of the economy.
Easter sales on confectionery, home improvement products and apparel helped push annual shop price inflation down to 1.0% in April from 1.2% in March, the British Retail Consortium said. Food inflation moderated to 3.1% from 3.4%, as retailers competed for weaker consumer spending. Industry surveys show a sharp drop in sales volumes and warnings th…
