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

5,142 total articles

Hungary to Pause Non-Essential Spending as New Government Reviews Budget

Hungary to Pause Non-Essential Spending as New Government Reviews Budget

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said his cabinet will temporarily suspend non-essential expenditures for about one to two weeks while the new government conducts a review of the state budget it inherited. He reiterated plans to secure an agreement with the European Union this month to free more than €10 billion in withheld funds, which he says could ad…

Kashkari Says Iran Conflict Has Amplified Inflation While Job Market Holds Steady

Kashkari Says Iran Conflict Has Amplified Inflation While Job Market Holds Steady

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said the Iran war has intensified already-elevated inflation and warned that closure of the Strait of Hormuz adds a major unknown to price pressures. Speaking at a St. Paul Area Chamber event, Kashkari said the Fed must bring inflation back to its 2% target and described the labor market as ‘lukew…

Bank of Canada Holds Rates but Flags Risk of Swift Change

Bank of Canada Holds Rates but Flags Risk of Swift Change

The Bank of Canada’s Governing Council decided it could keep its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% at the time of its April 29 announcement, according to minutes released Wednesday. While headline inflation was near the 2% target and GDP growth remained subdued, members warned that rising energy costs tied to the Iran conflict and other trade uncertai…

Kevin Warsh Poised to Lead Fed as Inflation Pressures Rise

Kevin Warsh Poised to Lead Fed as Inflation Pressures Rise

The U.S. Senate is set to confirm Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve, placing him in charge as the central bank contends with rising inflation that could complicate efforts to deliver the rate cuts urged by the president. Warsh will step into a policy environment marked by faster-than-expected producer and consumer price growth, an active …

Honeywell Sees Demand Lift from Iran Conflict and AI, CEO Says

Honeywell Sees Demand Lift from Iran Conflict and AI, CEO Says

Honeywell Chief Executive Vimal Kapur told Bloomberg Television that rising defense-related demand tied to the Iran conflict and growing adoption of artificial intelligence in industrial settings are boosting near-term demand for the company’s products. Kapur said these developments did not drive the company’s decision to split its automation and a…

BoE Seen Pausing at 3.75% as Some Economists Shift Toward Hikes Amid Energy Shock

BoE Seen Pausing at 3.75% as Some Economists Shift Toward Hikes Amid Energy Shock

A recent poll of economists finds the Bank of England is likely to keep its policy rate at 3.75% this year, but an increasing share of respondents now anticipate at least one rate hike as energy-price pressures tied to the Iran conflict lift inflation projections. Financial markets are more aggressive, pricing in two hikes. Growth forecasts remain …

Credit Agricole Sees Two 25bp SARB Hikes as Energy Prices Push Inflation Up

Credit Agricole Sees Two 25bp SARB Hikes as Energy Prices Push Inflation Up

Credit Agricole's emerging-markets research team projects two quarter-point increases from the South African Reserve Bank in May and July that would lift the policy rate to 7.25%. In a note from Sebastien Barbe, the bank says rising energy costs are accelerating inflation and that improving economic growth should help South Africa absorb tighter po…

Boston Fed's Collins: Further Rate Increases Possible if Inflation Persists

Boston Fed's Collins: Further Rate Increases Possible if Inflation Persists

Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins said the Fed may need to raise interest rates if recent inflationary pressures do not ease. Speaking to the Boston Economic Club, Collins emphasized the role of the Middle East conflict in amplifying inflation risks, described the U.S. economy as resilient, and said she expects to keep a slightly restr…

Starmer’s State Opening Overshadowed by Looming Leadership Challenge

Starmer’s State Opening Overshadowed by Looming Leadership Challenge

Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to use the State Opening of Parliament and the King's ceremonial address to reassert authority after Labour's poor local and regional election results. Reports that Health Secretary Wes Streeting was poised to resign, potentially triggering a leadership contest, surfaced as the King approached Parliament in full c…

BoE policymaker warns price-sensitive foreign buyers could amplify gilt volatility

BoE policymaker warns price-sensitive foreign buyers could amplify gilt volatility

Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann warned that the growing share of price-sensitive foreign investors buying UK government debt in place of domestic pension funds could elevate volatility in gilt yields. She noted that while such investors can help keep interest rates lower, they may also withdraw quickly in response to shocks, potentially …

BoE Official Warns Shift in Gilt Buyers Could Drive Greater Yield Volatility

BoE Official Warns Shift in Gilt Buyers Could Drive Greater Yield Volatility

Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann told an LSE audience that the increasing role of international, price-elastic investors in the UK gilt market could amplify volatility in borrowing costs. Her remarks followed a day of market turmoil that pushed 30-year and 10-year British yields to multi-decade highs and came amid political pressure on th…

Dollar Strengthens as Producer Prices Spike Ahead of Trump-Xi Talks

Dollar Strengthens as Producer Prices Spike Ahead of Trump-Xi Talks

The U.S. dollar firmed following a larger-than-expected rise in producer prices for April, a report that intensified market bets on prolonged tight U.S. monetary policy. The move coincides with the start of a two-day meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where trade and business access are key topi…

U.S. Producer Prices Register Biggest Monthly Rise Since Early 2022 in April

U.S. Producer Prices Register Biggest Monthly Rise Since Early 2022 in April

The Producer Price Index for final demand climbed 1.4% in April, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The gain followed an upward revision to March's 0.7% advance and was broad-based across goods and services. On a 12-month basis, producer prices rose 6.0%, reflecting both strong…

Producer prices surge in April; S&P 500 futures slip as markets react

Producer prices surge in April; S&P 500 futures slip as markets react

Producer prices rose more than economists forecast in April, with headline and core PPI readings exceeding Reuters poll estimates. The data pushed S&P 500 futures into negative territory and saw Dow E-minis move notably lower while Nasdaq 100 E-minis rose. The report reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchange…

Global Oil Stocks Near Decade Lows as Supply Buffers Erode

Global Oil Stocks Near Decade Lows as Supply Buffers Erode

UBS analysts report that global crude inventories have fallen sharply since February and may reach record lows by the end of May. Temporary cushions - including demand destruction, strategic reserve releases and transit waivers for Iranian and Russian cargoes - have delayed the descent, but those offsets are fading. The bank flags heightened price …

Pakistan’s economy grows 3.99% in Q1 2026 as services drive expansion

Pakistan’s economy grows 3.99% in Q1 2026 as services drive expansion

Pakistan’s gross value added rose 3.99% year-on-year in the January-March 2026 quarter, the Bureau of Statistics reported Wednesday. Growth slipped slightly from the 4.05% rate in the prior quarter, with the services sector leading the expansion, industry moderating and agriculture recording a modest acceleration.

UK government to table European Partnership Bill to deepen ties with EU

UK government to table European Partnership Bill to deepen ties with EU

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government will introduce a European Partnership Bill to put in place agreements with the European Union now and going forward. The move, announced in the King's Speech, seeks to rebuild economic ties with the bloc while the prime minister faces calls to step down following electoral setbacks. The bill would ena…