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
U.S. stock index futures slipped after a sharp one-day rally as uncertainty resurfaced over possible talks between the United States and Iran. President Donald Trump delayed planned strikes on Iran’s power grid citing productive discussions, but Iranian officials deny negotiations occurred. The geopolitical uncertainty has pushed oil prices higher …
British business activity slowed in March to its weakest pace in six months as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran sent costs for manufacturers sharply higher, according to a preliminary S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index. The composite PMI fell to 51.0 from 53.7 in February, while a separate S&P gauge of manufacturers' input prices recorded its larges…
U.S. stock futures were subdued and oil prices climbed as new strikes rattled the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a short delay to planned attacks on Iran’s power infrastructure. Tehran denied that substantive talks had taken place, and investors await U.S. flash purchasing managers index data for early indications of…
China's largest state-owned banks are positioned to recover part of their margin losses after nearly 54 trillion yuan (about $7.8 trillion) in time deposits mature in 2026 and roll over at much lower rates. Analysts say the shift in deposit pricing, together with policy moves by banks and the regulator, should help stabilise net interest margins af…
Foreign investors have withdrawn a record-scale $50.45 billion from selected Asian equity markets in March as fears of Middle East supply disruption tied to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran lift crude prices and prompt a reassessment of rate paths. The bulk of selling has focused on Taiwan, South Korea and India, with technology names particular…
Analysts at NH Investment & Securities estimate BTS’ upcoming world tour could generate about 8 trillion won ($5.32 billion) in combined direct and secondary consumer spending across the 44 cities on the itinerary. Fans traveling for concerts are spending on services, merchandise and local tourism experiences, boosting retail sales, hotel rates and…
Chinese automaker BYD registered 29,291 vehicles in the European Union during January-February 2026, a 179.2% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) figures. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 312,369 registrations and 18.8% market share as total EU new car registrations…
A temporary easing in market stress following U.S. President Donald Trump’s postponement of a threat to bomb Iran’s power grid evaporated within a day. Renewed tensions in the Middle East, continued constraints on global energy supply and mixed market reactions left Asian equities tepid, U.S. and European futures volatile, and Brent crude back abov…
India's private sector activity cooled sharply in March, with HSBC's flash Composite PMI falling to 56.5 - the weakest reading in over three years - as price shocks from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran weighed on domestic demand. Manufacturing registered a 4-1/2-year low while services eased, even as international orders reached a survey record. Risin…
At the China Development Forum, Beijing presented a message of steadiness and continuity to a global business audience, emphasizing technological self-reliance, industrial upgrading and 'high-quality development' aligned with the new five-year plan. A notable presence of U.S. corporate leaders contrasted with the absence of Japanese executives, ref…
ING analysts argue the Bank of Japan may raise interest rates as soon as April, despite a softer headline CPI print in February. They highlight that core measures of inflation remain above the BOJ's 2% target, wages are rising strongly and business activity continues to expand, all of which increase the chances of a near-term policy move. The timin…
Thailand's customs-cleared exports increased 9.9% year-on-year in February, driven by electronics and electrical equipment, the commerce ministry reported on Tuesday. While shipments expanded in the first two months by 18.9% and are projected to rise for the year, the February outcome undershot market expectations and came alongside a sharp rise in…
Global markets reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to delay an attack on Iran’s power grid, which briefly reduced fears of an extended Middle East conflict. Trump said on his social platform that the U.S. and Iran had held "very good and productive" talks about a "complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East," a cla…
Asian stock markets rose and oil prices pared steep losses after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a planned bombing of Iran’s power grid and extended a diplomatic ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz. The move eased immediate fears of a wider energy shock, prompting equity gains, a softer dollar and lower government bond yields even as volatili…
Japan’s core consumer inflation slowed to 1.6% in February, falling under the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for the first time since March 2022. Government interventions to curb fuel costs and surging crude prices linked to the Middle East conflict are creating opposing pressures on prices, complicating the BOJ’s roadmap for further rate increases.
Roughly $580 million worth of Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures contracts were traded in the oil market about 15 minutes before a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump that referenced productive talks with Iran, a Financial Times report found. The trades occurred between 6:49 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. New York time and coincided with a spike…
The U.S. administration is quietly assessing Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the 64-year-old speaker of Iran's parliament, as a potential partner to shepherd Tehran toward negotiated diplomacy and an end to the current military escalation. Some U.S. officials view him as a workable figure despite prior threats he has made against the United States. The o…
Senior U.S. officials traveled to Kyiv for a meeting of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund where both sides aim to advance the fund's first investment project. The fund, created under an April minerals agreement and operational since December, targets critical minerals and strategic sectors and is projected to reach $200 million by yea…
U.S. equities advanced and oil prices dropped sharply on March 23 after President Donald Trump postponed planned strikes on Iran’s power plants and signaled that early talks with Tehran had occurred. The market reaction reflected a renewed appetite for risk, even as questions remain about the longer-term impact on energy infrastructure and inflatio…
The jump in international oil and gas prices following the outbreak of war in Iran has enabled the Russian government to delay a planned reduction in the oil cut-off price that channels revenues into the National Wealth Fund. Three sources familiar with the discussions said the postponement eases immediate fiscal stress and is likely to push legisl…
New Zealand's central bank governor said monetary policy should look through a temporary spike in energy costs stemming from the Middle East conflict, but cautioned that if those costs feed into medium-term inflation or inflation expectations the Reserve Bank could raise interest rates. The RBNZ has held the official cash rate at 2.25% since Novemb…
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly said Monday that when uncertainty is high, framing risks as scenarios is more useful than fixating on a single economic forecast. She outlined one path in which a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict eases energy costs and leaves the U.S. economy largely unscathed, and an alternative…
Approximately 2,200 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are set to arrive in the U.S. Central Command area on Friday when the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the amphibious landing dock USS New Orleans transit into the region, U.S. officials said. Officials indicated it will take several days for the unit to reach the Strait of Hormuz. The …
Sam Altman has resigned from the board of Helion Energy, the fusion company he backed beginning in 2015, after concluding that serving on both Helion's board and OpenAI's leadership was no longer tenable. Altman will retain a financial interest in Helion but has pledged to abstain from any negotiations. Helion's CEO praised Altman's past contributi…
Multiple newly created accounts on the Polymarket platform made sizable wagers totalling about $160,000 on a U.S.-Iran cease-fire occurring by March 31 or April 15. Those positions gained significant unrealized value after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. and Iran had productive conversations about resolving the war, and …
