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.
7,098 total articles
Short-term borrowing costs tied to equity financing surged around the June quarter-end, driven by heavy demand for leveraged exposure to popular technology names and semiconductors. While some measures of financing costs have retreated, market participants warn the structural drivers - high leverage, concentrated positions, and limited dealer balan…
The International Monetary Fund said it is eager to engage with the U.S. Federal Reserve over the Fed's planned review of forward guidance and its broader communications strategy. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack reiterated that senior IMF officials view forward guidance as a useful policy tool when interest rates were near zero, and said it is reason…
Morgan Stanley projects global mergers and acquisitions will reach a record $6.4 trillion in 2026, driven by stronger equity markets, renewed corporate confidence and sizeable private equity dry powder. Momentum accelerated in the second quarter with announced deals and completions rising sharply, while the prospect of interest-rate increases remai…
New York Federal Reserve President John Williams told a conference audience that he does not anticipate a sustained rise in energy prices for the remainder of the year despite a renewal of conflict in the Middle East. He reiterated that markets expect oil to decline over the next six to 12 months, outlined the Fed’s deliberative decision-making rhy…
A 67-year-old former U.S. Olympic canoeist entered a not guilty plea after being criminally charged over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's new liner. The case has become politically charged following a high-profile renovation that drew criticism and security responses after visible problems emerged.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams told a conference at his bank that he does not anticipate a sustained rise in energy prices through the rest of the year, even as fresh fighting has flared in the Middle East. He said market pricing that signals lower oil in the next six to 12 months looks reasonable and stressed that monetar…
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced a new initiative at the AI for Good Summit in Geneva to address trust and accountability concerns around increasingly autonomous AI agents. The ITU will form a Focus Group of technical, policy and legal specialists to produce frameworks that keep AI agents identifiable, reliable and subject …
Bank of America warns that U.S. front-end real yields are likely to stay elevated even as oil prices have pulled back. The bank says markets are increasingly reflecting the possibility of a firmer Federal Reserve response to persistent inflation, and it advocates maintaining short positions in two-year rates and inflation-linked trades while favori…
Initial applications for unemployment benefits in the United States fell by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 for the week ended July 4, a reading that points to a broadly stable labor market despite softer job growth in June. Continuing claims climbed amid seasonal adjustment quirks tied to the school holiday, and Federal Reserve minutes high…
The Japanese government plans to explicitly mention the Bank of Japan's independence in its economic blueprint to dispel any impression it intends to influence monetary policy, Kyodo said. The change follows bond market volatility after draft language prompted concerns that the government might push the BOJ to keep rates low. Authorities revised th…
Minutes from the European Central Bank's June 10-11 meeting show staff projections that headline inflation would climb further over the summer and stay above target into the first half of 2027, even after nearly three 25-basis-point interest rate increases were built into the outlook. The bank raised rates at that meeting and left open the possibil…
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy accused U.S. forces of disrupting efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and said that transit under Iranian control has recovered to roughly half of pre-conflict capacity in the last two weeks. The Guards said passage is being expanded only for ships holding permits to use Iran-designated routes and warned that fur…
Brazil has postponed a decision on removing a gasoline subsidy until next week, Finance Minister Dario Durigan said, citing rising oil prices linked to the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Durigan also announced an imminent increase in the ethanol content of gasoline to 32% from 30% and reiterated a desire to raise the biodiesel blend in diesel this …
Bank of America expects the Bank of Korea to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points at the central bank's July 16 monetary policy committee meeting. The bank cites continued inflationary pressures, rising property prices, resilient export growth and foreign exchange volatility tied to equity flows as reasons for the anticipated move. Markets will…
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the United States is mistaken to believe that deep Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory would help end the war. His remarks followed U.S. comments endorsing attacks on Russian refineries and included a warning that establishing a no-fly zone would effectively mean NATO forces operating in Ukraine. Peskov als…
On July 9, U.S. equity futures inched higher as crude prices eased following renewed U.S. strikes on Iran and reciprocal attacks by Iran on Kuwait and Bahrain. The geopolitical escalation, coming after President Donald Trump said an interim ceasefire was "over," has rattled hopes for a swift resolution to a four-month conflict and prompted investor…
Qatar has called on Iran and the United States to recommit to diplomatic channels and implement a June memorandum as clashes between the two sides intensified. The U.S. said it struck roughly 90 targets in Iran, while Tehran responded with attacks it described as aimed at U.S. military facilities in the Gulf. The exchanges have put the future of a …
HSBC has reduced its average gold price projections for 2026 and 2027, attributing the cuts to a more hawkish U.S. monetary policy outlook and an appreciating dollar. The bank also outlined trading ranges and year-end targets while noting moderated central bank buying and sizeable ETF outflows earlier in the year.
U.S. equity futures rose modestly after renewed exchanges of strikes between the United States and Iran around the Persian Gulf. Oil dipped from intraday highs but remained above levels seen before the recent flare-up, sustaining concerns about inflation. PepsiCo prepares to report quarterly results amid geopolitical uncertainty, while fresh Chines…
Global hedge funds delivered their strongest performance in the first half of the year since 2013, driven by winning positions in healthcare, technology and energy, according to data from hedge fund analytics firm PivotalPath and commentary from major managers. April was a standout month, and stock-focused managers produced double-digit year-to-dat…
Asian equity markets experienced a mixed trading session driven by divergent forces. Semiconductor stocks rallied following reports of potential policy shifts in China, lifting major indices across the region. However, gains were tempered by a sharp increase in oil prices after diplomatic tensions escalated in the Gulf. The surge in crude costs rei…
The benchmark 10-year Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yield reached a 30-year high, driven by renewed inflation concerns and investor apprehension regarding Japan's fiscal trajectory. This movement reflects the market's response to rising oil prices and the government's outlined spending blueprint, which has sparked debate over the Bank of Japan's m…
A recent survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicates a marginal easing in the downturn within Britain's housing market during June. Despite this minor uptick, the sector continues to grapple with fragile sentiment driven by persistent uncertainties regarding inflation trajectories and future interest rate movements. Th…
Global equity markets experienced a notable shift in sentiment on Wednesday, with major U.S. indices closing in the red amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tracked their international counterparts downward, while the Nasdaq Composite managed a slight gain, driven by strength within the technolo…
The heads of the IEA, IMF, World Bank Group and WTO said the global economy has so far shown broad resilience to the shock from the war in the Middle East but cautioned that uncertainty is high and impacts could persist. The institutions urged progress toward a resolution, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and pledged continued cooperation to …
