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.
7,116 total articles
The Bank of France cut its 2026 GDP forecast to 0.5% from 0.9%, attributing the downgrade to an unexpected 0.1% contraction in the first quarter and higher global energy costs tied to the outbreak of the Iran war in late February. The central bank used oil futures data from May 21 in its baseline, noted a flat outlook for the current quarter, and a…
European Central Bank Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf warned that an interim agreement between the US and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz may not quickly translate into lower inflation in the euro area. He said lingering disruptions to supply chains, potential production lags from infrastructure damage and remaining uncertainty over s…
Investors and policymakers at a London conference on June 16 urged Europe to unlock roughly €35 trillion in private savings to finance the region’s industrial and technological transition. Speakers said political reforms, deregulatory moves and new investment vehicles are steps forward, but Europe must act faster and create conditions that steer ho…
French department store BHV Marais is ending its collaboration with Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein after its owner, the Societe des grands magasins (SGM), agreed to sell the Parisian store to its current management team, French media reported on June 16. The decision follows protests and criticism that accompanied Shein’s November store openin…
U.S. Treasury yields moved in opposite directions on Tuesday as investors digested a mix of inflation and economic activity data ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting - the first chaired by Kevin Warsh. The 10-year Treasury yield dipped modestly while the two-year rose slightly. Stronger-than-expected import prices and a sharp fall …
The International Monetary Fund has trimmed its growth forecast for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2026 to 2%, citing fallout from the war in the Middle East. The IMF mission chief highlighted rising energy import bills and weaker demand in the European Union as the principal drags. Inflation is expected to climb to 5.4% this year, with the fund project…
Single-family housing starts dropped to their lowest pace since last September as mortgage rates and building material costs rose, contributing to an overall decline in housing starts to a six-year low. Concurrently, import prices surged more than expected in May, driven by fuel and capital goods, lifting annual imported inflation to its highest le…
The FBI announced that multiple suspects were taken into custody following a multi-state probe that uncovered an alleged plot to attack the UFC America 250 event staged on the White House South Lawn. Director Kash Patel credited swift coordination with partner agencies and the Department of Justice for stopping the plan, which federal investigators…
Switzerland will host the signing of an interim memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran on June 19 at the Buergenstock resort in the canton of Nidwalden, the Swiss foreign ministry said. The ministry said it has stayed in close contact with the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar in the run-up to the ceremony, and that th…
A senior official at Canada’s Department of Finance told a London conference that hedge funds now buy between 30% and 50% of government debt at auction, a dramatic increase from a decade ago. While authorities' concerns about such participation have eased over the past year, the official cautioned that concentration and potential herding remain ris…
Single-family housing starts fell 1.9% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 882,000 units, the lowest reading since September, as rising mortgage rates and elevated building costs weighed on construction activity. Permits for future single-family construction rose 0.6% to 886,000, while residential investment has now contracted for five s…
A broad economist poll indicates Brazil's monetary policy committee is poised to lower the Selic rate by 25 basis points at its upcoming meeting, marking a third consecutive reduction as inflation edges higher. While most respondents expect further gradual easing, concerns about inflation persistence and shifting expectations temper forecasts for t…
U.S. import prices rose 1.9% in May, surpassing expectations, driven by a large increase in imported fuel and gains in capital goods. On a 12-month basis import prices advanced 6.7%, the largest year-on-year rise since August 2022. The strength in import costs coincides with faster consumer and producer inflation readings and comes as the Federal R…
European Central Bank Governing Council member Jose Luis Escriva cautioned that disruptions to energy supplies are likely to continue even after the recent agreement to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. He said markets may not be fully pricing in the magnitude or the time needed to restore production, and that uncertainty around energy supply will rema…
Iceland will hold a public vote on August 29 on whether to resume European Union membership negotiations. Finance Minister Dadi Mar Kristofersson says EU accession would strengthen the island nation’s economy and security posture amid rising Arctic competition and strained transatlantic relations, while opponents point to existing single-market acc…
The European Parliament voted to implement cuts to import duties on a broad range of U.S. goods, fulfilling the European Union's obligations under the Turnberry trade framework and reducing the immediate risk of a renewed tariff confrontation with the United States. The legislation, approved by 440 votes to 151, also extends duty-free treatment for…
The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to reduce import duties on U.S. goods, putting into effect the European Union's commitments under a trade framework agreed last year. The measure, intended to head off a new round of tariffs between the two largest trading partners, implements reciprocal concessions negotiated at a July 2025 meeting in Scotl…
U.S. equity futures showed little direction as investors awaited the Federal Reserves first rate decision under new Chairman Kevin Warsh. SpaceX pushed higher for a third day after its IPO, while gains in memory-chip stocks and mixed corporate earnings reactions added nuance to the premarket session. The Fed is expected to hold its policy range, w…
European Investment Bank President Nadia Calvino said there is scope for the EIB to expand lending as it supports EU priorities such as defense, energy and competitiveness. Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Europe summit, she noted that shareholders - EU governments that own the bank - are prioritizing impact, risk-taking and influence in key strategic …
Reckitt Benckiser CEO Kris Licht said the consumer goods group expects inflationary pressure from the Iran crisis to reach consumers with a delay, projecting broader cost effects across feedstocks and commodities over the next six to 12 months. The maker of Dettol and Durex is facing weak consumer sentiment, higher costs and supply disruption, thou…
The Kremlin stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not received an official invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to attend the G7 summit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there are currently no official communication channels between Kyiv and Moscow and repeated that Zelenskiy could come to Moscow for talks if he is…
An analyst from a think tank affiliated with the China Mineral Resources Group told a Singapore industry conference that imported iron ore will account for roughly 50% of China’s consumption by 2030, down from about 80% today. The projection rests on expanded domestic concentrate capacity and greater scrap steel use, and comes alongside forecasts f…
The Ifo Institute estimates that Germany could strengthen its fiscal position by as much as €60 billion annually by 2030 if a package of reforms is launched now and implemented over the next four years. The study, commissioned by the New Social Free Market Initiative, attributes roughly €54 billion of the potential improvement to changes in pension…
Kevin Warsh begins his tenure as Federal Reserve chair with a two-day meeting and a Wednesday press briefing, confronting an early trade-off between paring forward guidance and responding to economic data that many policymakers view as supporting higher interest rates. His stated preferences on the language in policy statements, the role and freque…
A majority of Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to indicate they plan to leave short-term interest rates unchanged through the year, according to projections due out on Wednesday, though a small number are likely to signal support for a rate increase if inflation risks rise. The expected shift in the dot plot toward a slightly higher path f…
