Economy

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.

Articles

5,135 total articles

Starmer Rejects Fixed Exit Timeline as Labour Faces Leadership Turmoil

Starmer Rejects Fixed Exit Timeline as Labour Faces Leadership Turmoil

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declined to provide a timetable for leaving office as a leadership crisis deepens within the Labour Party. Nearly 100 lawmakers have demanded his resignation after weak local election outcomes. Senior figures including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and the resigning Health Secretary Wes Streeting have pressed for clar…

Brazil's Activity Index Shows 1.3% Q1 Expansion After Sharper March Contraction

Brazil's Activity Index Shows 1.3% Q1 Expansion After Sharper March Contraction

Brazil’s central bank activity gauge rose 1.3% in the first quarter relative to the prior three months, despite a steeper-than-anticipated 0.7% month-on-month decline in March. All sectors tracked fell in March, with services - the main engine of the economy - down 0.8%. Policymakers have eased policy with two consecutive 25 basis point cuts, lower…

Under Pressure: How Rising Yields Are Straining G7 Government Debt

Under Pressure: How Rising Yields Are Straining G7 Government Debt

Borrowing costs across the Group of Seven have climbed sharply in recent years as central banks lifted rates and investors demand higher compensation for holding long-term debt. New geopolitical tensions, shifting investor appetite and persistent fiscal needs from ageing populations, climate and defence spending are adding to the strain. This analy…

Hungary’s Central Bank Backs Government Push to Adopt the Euro

Hungary’s Central Bank Backs Government Push to Adopt the Euro

Hungary’s central bank governor, Mihaly Varga, said the institution will be a cooperative partner in the government’s effort to adopt the euro, while emphasizing the need to keep inflation under control. He framed euro membership as a political decision for Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s new administration, and noted that meeting Maastricht criteria…

Mandiri Sekuritas Sees a Small Bank Indonesia Rate Increase on Rupiah Weakness

Mandiri Sekuritas Sees a Small Bank Indonesia Rate Increase on Rupiah Weakness

Mandiri Sekuritas expects Bank Indonesia to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to 5.00% at the May 20 meeting, citing a prolonged weakening of the Rupiah and a drawdown in foreign exchange reserves. The firm places a 60% probability on a direct policy rate increase, while leaving open a 40% chance that the central bank will instead rely on no…

Bond Market Forces Could Push Fed Toward Hawkish Turn, Analysts Say

Bond Market Forces Could Push Fed Toward Hawkish Turn, Analysts Say

Bond yields jumped on Kevin Warsh's first day as Federal Reserve chair, prompting strategists at Yardeni Research and Bank of America to warn that markets are running out of patience with an easing bias. Both firms argue that mounting market pressure - and stronger oil-related risks - make a hawkish pivot increasingly likely, with Yardeni even leav…

China's solar cell exports surge 60% in April despite end of tax refund

China's solar cell exports surge 60% in April despite end of tax refund

China's outbound shipments of solar cells rose 60% year-on-year in April to 1.34 billion units, valued at $3.12 billion, according to customs data released Monday. Although exports expanded versus the prior year, monthly shipments and tonnage declined from March peaks, a drop analysts link in part to front-loading ahead of the elimination of an exp…

Trump Says Iran Is Eager to Sign Peace Deal, But Sticking Points Remain

Trump Says Iran Is Eager to Sign Peace Deal, But Sticking Points Remain

President Donald Trump told a magazine he believes Iran wants to sign a peace agreement with the United States but is presenting unacceptable terms. The comments come as hostilities in the Middle East pass the 80-day mark, with a weekend drone strike at a UAE nuclear facility and intercepted drones over Saudi Arabia raising doubts about an already …

U.S. Futures Slip as Bond Yields and Oil Rally Pressure Equities

U.S. Futures Slip as Bond Yields and Oil Rally Pressure Equities

U.S. stock index futures opened lower as an upturn in Treasury yields and a jump in oil prices damped investor appetite for equities. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since February 2025 before easing, while Brent crude traded above $110 a barrel after a drone strike raised concerns about conflict in the Middle East. Market p…

China's Refined Fuel Shipments Fall 38% in April After Export Curbs

China's Refined Fuel Shipments Fall 38% in April After Export Curbs

China's exports of refined oil products dropped 38% year-on-year in April to 3.12 million metric tons, customs data show. The decline follows export restrictions introduced in mid-March that allocated shipment volumes to specific countries and exempted certain categories. Jet fuel and diesel experienced the largest falls, and liquefied natural gas …

New Fed Chair Ushers in Uncertainty as Inflation and Policy Paths Diverge

New Fed Chair Ushers in Uncertainty as Inflation and Policy Paths Diverge

Kevin Warsh is set to be sworn in as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve at a moment of elevated inflation, a sizable central bank balance sheet and divergent views among policymakers about the path of interest rates. The transition ends a contentious chapter between the White House and the central bank but opens a new phase of debate over how aggres…

Kremlin Says Peace Talks with Ukraine Paused, Expects Restart

Kremlin Says Peace Talks with Ukraine Paused, Expects Restart

The Kremlin on Monday characterized the Russia-Ukraine peace process as temporarily paused but affirmed expectations that negotiations will resume. The statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building that killed 24 people, including three children, had delayed peace efforts. Kremlin spokes…

Kremlin Says High Hopes for Putin’s Visit to China Amid Deepening Ties

Kremlin Says High Hopes for Putin’s Visit to China Amid Deepening Ties

The Kremlin said Russia holds strong expectations for President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to China, describing the relationship with Beijing as a "particularly privileged and strategic partnership." The trip follows a recent visit to China by U.S. President Donald Trump and will include a sizeable Russian delegation. Officials indicated econom…

IEA Flags Rapid Drawdown in Commercial Oil Stocks, Cites Inflation Risks

IEA Flags Rapid Drawdown in Commercial Oil Stocks, Cites Inflation Risks

The International Energy Agency's executive director said commercial oil inventories are being depleted rapidly and will continue to fall for several weeks. Rising diesel and fertilizer costs, coinciding with travel and planting seasons, could push food prices higher and add to inflationary pressure. French authorities said strategic reserves were …

Bidless Auction Leaves Seized Uzhuralzoloto Stake Unsold

Bidless Auction Leaves Seized Uzhuralzoloto Stake Unsold

A government auction to sell a 67.2% stake in gold producer Uzhuralzoloto, seized from businessman Konstantin Strukov, failed to attract any bidders and was declared invalid, according to a state auction website. The stake had been valued at 140.43 billion roubles as part of a larger asset package priced at 162.02 billion roubles. A court in July o…