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.
2,592 total articles
South Korea's manufacturing sector recorded its most robust expansion since February 2022 in March, driven by semiconductor demand and new product releases, the S&P Global purchasing managers index showed. While domestic momentum and product cycles supported output gains, export orders slowed as the Middle East war weighed on overseas demand. Input…
The International Monetary Fund has reached staff-level loan accords that would allow Papua New Guinea to access roughly $216 million once the arrangements receive approval. The package spans reviews under the extended credit facility, the extended fund facility and the resilience and sustainability facility, and follows an IMF mission to Port More…
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission will prioritize enforcement against potential insider trading in prediction markets and manipulative conduct in energy markets, the agency's new enforcement director said in his first public remarks since taking the post. The CFTC will also concentrate on spoofing and willful violations of anti-money-la…
The Low Pay Commission has proposed that Britain’s national minimum wage may need to increase by about 3.7% in 2027 to keep pace with expected average earnings growth, projecting a central rate of 13.18 pounds an hour while opening an annual consultation with employers, unions and the public. The projection is provisional and the commission said th…
The Department of Homeland Security has put on hold plans to repurpose large warehouses for immigrant detention while newly appointed Secretary Markwayne Mullin reviews a controversial program initiated under Kristi Noem. Documents show the prior plan called for $38.3 billion in spending by year-end to establish detention centers to hold and proces…
President Trump told reporters that U.S. military forces will withdraw from Iran within two to three weeks, saying the objective of eliminating the country's nuclear threat has been met. He confirmed ongoing operations, including strikes on missile-making facilities, and said the United States does not require a separate agreement with Iran to depa…
Global equity markets finished the first quarter with a dramatic rally as signs of potential easing in the Middle East conflict drove risk appetite. The upside came despite fresh data showing a fall in U.S. job openings and hiring. Energy markets, megacap performance and pronounced volatility marked a quarter with wide swings across regions and ass…
Brazil's central bank significantly increased its allocation to gold in 2025, raising the metal's share of foreign exchange reserves to 7.19% from 3.55% a year earlier. The dollar's share dropped to a record low of 72.00%. Total reserves reached $358.23 billion at year-end, with returns up 9.18% driven mainly by interest income and currency movemen…
Google and independent cybersecurity firms said hackers linked to North Korea inserted malware into an update for Axios, an open-source software library used widely to connect web services and apps. The injected code, since removed, could have captured credentials and other data and was built to run on macOS, Windows and Linux. Google attributes th…
OpenAI closed a $122 billion funding round that values the company at $852 billion post-money. The financing was anchored by Amazon, NVIDIA and SoftBank, with Microsoft maintaining involvement. The company also expanded its credit facility, drew new infrastructure and chip partnerships, reported robust user and revenue metrics, and said it is assem…
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. military forces are prepared to counter and curtail attacks by Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced plans to target American companies in the region beginning April 1. The official pointed to a roughly 90% reduction in ballistic missile and drone strikes by …
A U.S. district judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking construction of a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing. The injunction, granted to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, halts the project while the group’s lawsuit — which argues the demolition and new constr…
Colombia's finance minister announced the government's withdrawal from the central bank board meeting, citing a need for policy decisions to align with the country's economic and social realities. The move follows a majority proposal on the board to raise the policy rate by 100 basis points and comes amid above-target inflation, a large minimum wag…
Monzo announced it will withdraw from the United States to concentrate on scaling operations in the United Kingdom and across Europe. The company highlighted its 15 million UK customer base and the prospects opened by a European banking licence. Reports indicate it will halt new U.S. customer sign-ups, lay off about 50 staff and allow existing U.S.…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that he has received direct messages from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, but emphasized these contacts do not amount to negotiations. According to Qatar's Al Jazeera TV, Araqchi described those communications as comprising threats or exchanged views passed via intermediaries he labeled "frie…
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Jeff Schmid warned that the recent surge in energy prices related to the Iran conflict risks keeping inflation closer to 3%, and urged policymakers not to assume the shock will be temporary. He highlighted the likely transmission of higher oil and gas costs into core inflation via transportation channel…
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeff Schmid warned that rising energy costs could do more than a brief lift to inflation, noting that inflation was close to 3% before the Iran conflict pushed oil prices higher. He said policymakers should not be complacent about inflation expectations, urged actions to validate those expectations, and stresse…
The High Court in London concluded a 10-week trial on March 31 examining claims by seven public figures that Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, commissioned private investigators to carry out unlawful information-gathering between 1993 and 2011. Judge Matthew Nicklin said he would take time to consider th…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg that the World Trade Organization is unable to tackle fundamental distortions in the global trading system, including structural imbalances, currency matters and large export-driven surpluses. Despite those limitations, Greer said the United States does not plan to leave the WTO. He noted that…
Ireland will introduce a personal savings and investment account from next year designed to encourage households to shift a portion of the 170 billion euros held in low-yield bank deposits into investment products. The vehicle will apply an annual flat-rate tax on assets above a tax-free threshold and may use that flat rate as the sole tax on inves…
Canada's real GDP edged up 0.1% in January, propelled by gains in oil and gas extraction and construction. While goods-producing industries posted modest growth, a 1.4% fall in manufacturing - largely linked to extended holiday shutdowns at Ontario automotive plants - moderated overall expansion. Early signals point to a modest rebound in February.
Canada's economy recorded a marginal increase in monthly gross domestic product in January, rising 0.1% after December's 0.2% gain. Growth in mining, construction and oil and gas extraction offset a sharp fall in manufacturing, leaving overall momentum fragile. An advance estimate pointed to a possible 0.2% expansion in February, while markets are …
The first quarter delivered abrupt, large-scale moves across commodity, fixed income, equity and currency markets as the outbreak of war in Iran coincided with disruptive geopolitical actions earlier in January. Brent crude surged nearly 90%, European gas prices almost doubled and global interest rates have turned decisively higher, producing major…
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that regime change has occurred in Iran and that American strikes are increasing in intensity. He said U.S. firepower is growing while Iranian capabilities are declining, described the coming days as decisive in the operation, and warned that strikes will continue and intensify unless Tehran accept…
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social urging countries unable to secure jet fuel because of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz to either buy fuel from the United States or mount military action themselves to reopen the waterway. He said the U.S. would not help allies in such efforts and signaled a willingness to end the U.S. military campaig…
