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.
5,173 total articles
JPMorgan reported that April proved a difficult month for dealmaking as clients put transactions on hold because of geopolitical uncertainty tied to the Iran war. Anu Aiyengar, the bank’s global head of advisory and M&A, said the environment produced a stop-and-start pattern and that the market is favoring larger transactions, with deals under $2 b…
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman warned Tuesday that consumer fraud and scams are an escalating threat to the financial system, noting that almost every case involves a bank account or a payment linked to one. She said regulators are weighing stronger measures as banks increase investments in security and consumer educatio…
Wolfe Research analyst Tobin Marcus says tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill give the economy a modest tailwind for 2026 but fall short of producing the broad-based stimulus-fueled boom the Administration described. Household tax refunds are tracking close to Wolfe's $111 billion estimate, yet much of the benefit has gone to higher-income …
Satellite analysis from a maritime monitoring firm indicates that a very large crude carrier sailing under Iran's flag appears to have surfaced off Bali after months without entries on commercial tracking systems. The vessel had been observed near an Iranian port just hours before the U.S. enforcement operation in the Gulf of Oman began on April 13…
The unemployment rate for Americans aged 22 to 27 holding bachelor’s degrees remained at 5.6% in March, the same level recorded in December, according to the New York Federal Reserve. The first quarter of 2026 saw a decline in underemployment for this group to 41.5%, while unemployment for similarly aged workers without four-year degrees fell to 7.…
Job openings in the United States eased in March even as employers increased hiring sharply, according to the Labor Department's JOLTS report. Openings fell by 56,000 to 6.866 million, while hires rose by 655,000 to 5.554 million. Layoffs and discharges also increased, and economists point to geopolitical disruptions and commodity price pressures a…
France has convened an online meeting of G7 ministers to address global dependence on China for critical minerals and to present a national plan to rebuild a full rare-earths and permanent magnets supply chain. Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the session is a preparatory step for a mid-June G7 leaders' summit in Evian and described measures Fr…
The Securities and Exchange Commission is drafting rules to roll back a 2024 climate-related disclosure requirement designed to give investors information on companies' climate spending, emissions and risks. The action follows the agency's earlier decision not to defend the rule in court and comes amid an administration intent on undoing prior clim…
The U.S. employment report due later this week is being watched as a pivotal signal for Federal Reserve policy. Strong economic readings and concerns about inflation tied to the war with Iran have pushed markets to expect no rate moves this year. A clear, sustained weakening in the labor market would be required to revive serious consideration of c…
Saudi Arabia recorded a budget deficit of 125.7 billion riyals ($33.5 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The gap was driven by a 20% increase in government spending to 386.7 billion riyals while total revenues slipped to 261.0 billion riyals. Oil receipts fell 3% year-on-year to 144.7 billion riyals as non-oil…
BRASILIA, May 5 - The Central Bank of Brazil debated shifting its assessment of the balance of inflation risks but ultimately kept that assessment unchanged, even as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has pushed inflation expectations higher. The bank trimmed its policy rate by 25 basis points to 14.5% for a second consecutive meeting, while minutes from…
Minutes from the central bank's April 29 meeting show policymakers view the Middle East conflict and stronger domestic demand as ongoing inflation drivers. While the board approved a quarter-point cut to the Selic rate to 14.5%, members stressed the need for a restrictive stance to counter deanchoring of expectations and second-round effects from h…
Canada moved to a merchandise trade surplus of C$1.78 billion in March, reversing a C$5.11 billion deficit in February. The shift was led by stronger energy receipts amid higher crude prices and a surge in metal and non-metallic product exports, while overall imports declined.The gain represented the first monthly surplus in six months and exceeded…
RadixArk has raised $100 million in a seed round at a $400 million valuation to advance software that reduces the compute required to run AI models. The round was led by Accel and Spark Capital, with participation from Nvidia’s NVentures, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, and others. RadixArk's open-source engine, SGLang, operates as a middle layer leveraging…
Mozambique’s prolonged economic difficulties have intensified recently as an Islamist insurgency, post-election unrest and financing strains have combined to raise the prospect of a sovereign debt restructuring. The International Monetary Fund reclassified the country’s debt as unsustainable, arrears to creditors have accumulated, and market indica…
Long-dated UK government bond yields climbed to their highest point in almost three decades as traders increased bets on additional Bank of England rate rises. The 30-year gilt yield rose 11 basis points to 5.76% as trading resumed after a public holiday, with heightened Middle East tensions and firmer oil prices contributing to the move. Interest …
Romania's minority administration lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, toppling Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government and introducing political uncertainty that could stall efforts to reduce the European Union's largest budget deficit. The motion was filed by the Social Democrats, who exited the coalition last month over unpopular fiscal cut…
Consumer prices in Switzerland rose 0.6% year-on-year in April, the highest pace in 16 months, driven largely by surging energy costs linked to conflict in the Middle East. Core inflation excluding energy fell to 0.3%, and Swiss authorities expect the recent uptick to be temporary, with higher electricity charges not reaching households until next …
Brazil's finance minister Dario Durigan said the government's relaunched consumer debt relief program is unlikely to derail the country's nascent cycle of monetary easing, describing the fiscal effect as 'quite contained.' Durigan tied current monetary pressures to geopolitical events that have pushed oil prices higher and reiterated opposition to …
Hungary's central bank governor, Mihaly Varga, warned that the country's primary budget deficit could expand this year from the 0.9% of GDP recorded in 2025. Speaking at a business conference, Varga outlined monetary policy priorities - preserving a positive real interest rate and maintaining the policy rate unchanged at 6.25% - and flagged both ex…
Bank of America expects Mexico's central bank to lower its policy rate by 25 basis points to 6.50% at the May 7 meeting, anticipating a 4-1 vote split. The bank says Banxico will keep guidance closely tied to incoming data while inflation remains above target, and projects the terminal rate will stay at 6.50% for the remainder of 2026. BofA also hi…
The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% at its May meeting, the third increase this year and a return to post-pandemic highs. With the board voting 8-1 for the hike, Governor Michele Bullock said policy is now slightly restrictive, allowing the bank to step back and assess inflation and growth risks linked to …
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% at its May meeting, marking the third hike this year and restoring interest rates to post-pandemic highs. The board cited rising fuel costs and the potential for second-round effects on broader prices as reasons to keep policy tight, and signalled risks remain tilted …
The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised its inflation projections and trimmed growth and labour market forecasts after a global energy shock originating in the Gulf pushed domestic fuel prices sharply higher. Policymakers are widely expected to lift the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35%, with the RBA warning of risks from a prolonged closure o…
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% on Tuesday, marking the third rise this year and moving borrowing costs to their highest point since late-2024. The central bank cited added inflationary pressure from energy market disruptions tied to the conflict in the Middle East and said consumer price inflation …
