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.
7,067 total articles
President Donald Trump publicly affirmed his satisfaction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's performance after a media report said the president had expressed frustration about munitions shortages and being misled about weapons stockpile levels. Trump dismissed the account, praised recent military actions, touted expansion in defense manufacturi…
A Reuters poll of 18 analysts indicates Mexico's annual headline inflation probably slowed to 3.12% in July, the fourth straight monthly decline and the lowest reading since May 2020. Core inflation also appears to have eased to 3.94%, while month-on-month consumer prices are estimated to have risen 0.03%. The central bank is expected to hold its p…
Chief executives from two of Brazil's largest banks voiced support for further reductions in the Selic rate after the central bank lowered its benchmark by 25 basis points to 14% - the fourth straight cut. Executives credited the restrictive policy for curbing inflation, noted that real rates remain high globally, and urged structural steps to brin…
U.S. Treasury yields rose as investors tracked diplomatic activity aimed at resolving the Iran conflict ahead of Friday’s July employment report. Two-year yields gained 3.53 basis points to 4.214% and the 10-year yield rose 2.41 basis points to 4.641%. Oil prices firmed on uncertainty around Iran-Oman negotiations, attacks on Saudi tankers, and the…
U.S. nonfarm productivity rose at a 1.4% annualized pace in the second quarter, outpacing expectations and following an upward revision to first-quarter growth. Unit labor costs climbed 1.3% in Q2, matching a downwardly revised Q1 pace and coming in below economists' forecasts. Hourly compensation and year-over-year labor cost gains were moderate, …
Brazil's finance minister described lowering interest rates as the country's primary challenge, while asserting that public finances are balanced. His comments followed a central bank decision to trim the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 14.00% for the fourth straight meeting. The minister emphasized the need for continued fiscal discipline to …
Multiple private phone conversations between President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh since Warsh’s May 2026 confirmation have been reported by two separate outlets. The disclosures come amid market turbulence after Warsh’s July 29 press conference and with uneven economic data ahead of key employment and inflation releases, com…
The Czech National Bank left its key policy rate unchanged at 3.75% on Thursday, maintaining the two-week repo rate after a June rate increase — the first in four years. The bank cited ongoing monitoring of domestic inflation pressures, rapid credit expansion, and wage growth as reasons for its more restrictive stance compared with regional peers. …
Yardeni Research on Thursday argued the U.S. economy is on firm footing and that Federal Reserve officials ought to adopt a more hawkish policy stance. The note highlights booming consumer spending and business investment, rising GDP deflators, and an AI-driven surge in hyperscaler capital expenditures as reasons upside inflation risks now outweigh…
A Reuters poll of 13 analysts shows Egypt's annual headline inflation is expected to have risen to 15.6% in July from 14.3% in June, driven by an unfavourable base effect and stronger food and non-food price pressures. Core inflation is also projected to remain elevated. The statistics agency CAPMAS will publish the official July reading on August …
Federal judges have increasingly criticized the Justice Department for misconduct by its lawyers, but the two internal watchdog offices charged with policing the department - the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Inspector General - have seen substantial staff losses and a marked decline in new investigations. Internal departu…
U.S. stock futures traded near unchanged as investors weighed reports of progress in talks with Iran and sifted through a steady stream of corporate earnings. Key developments included negotiations over maritime routing through the Strait of Hormuz, mixed corporate guidance from Sandisk and Block, softer-than-expected private payroll growth in July…
President Donald Trump said discussions with Iran appeared to be moving in a positive direction, but provided no details as attention remains fixed on a possible agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran disputed parts of the U.S. account and said talks were limited to mediators in Oman, even as both sides signalled steps toward agreeing on …
A poll of 35 economists indicates China’s export growth moderated in July from June’s sharp rebound but remained robust, supported by global demand for AI-related products and an uptick in shipments ahead of expected U.S. tariff increases. Imports are also expected to have slowed from June, while the trade surplus likely narrowed. Official activity…
Asian equity benchmarks cooled after recent rallies in AI-linked technology stocks, with South Korea and Japan posting notable declines following prior sharp gains. The swings followed sell-offs in U.S. equities including SpaceX and Advanced Micro Devices over worries about heavy AI investment. At the same time, a reported Iran-Oman proposal touchi…
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said she is prepared to raise the central bank's short-term interest rate target if inflation does not begin to moderate. Speaking in remarks prepared for an Anchorage luncheon, Cook emphasized that risks to the inflation side of the Fed's mandate are currently larger than risks to employment and stressed a commit…
The U.S. Senate voted 51 to 44 to confirm Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, filling a role that had been occupied by acting leaders for almost a year. Her nomination faced scrutiny over whether she would push back against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine policy and pers…
The Dallas and New York Federal Reserve Banks will launch a pilot survey of the private credit market - estimated at $1.3 trillion - after the third quarter concludes. The initiative will segment lenders by borrower EBITDA into upper middle, middle and lower middle cohorts, and the Fed expects to publish survey results in the first quarter of 2027.…
Virginia health authorities reported the state's first dengue infection in a person with no recent travel outside Virginia. Officials said the patient was probably infected by a local mosquito that had bitten an infected traveler. Similar locally acquired cases have been identified in parts of Florida, and experts warn changing conditions are makin…
The U.S. Treasury has taken Fly Baghdad Airlines, Iraq Express and two Boeing 737 aircraft off its Specially Designated Nationals list after determining the carrier altered its conduct. The sanctions had been applied in 2024 over alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. Treasury officials said the change does not signal …
The Federal Reserve banks of Dallas and New York will jointly run a pilot survey of the private credit market - estimated at $1.3 trillion - after the close of the third quarter, the New York Fed said in a statement on Wednesday. The work will classify borrowers by EBITDA size and aims to shed light on credit availability, lending standards and pot…
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and Oman have settled on geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. A joint announcement is nearing completion contingent on no interference from third parties, and Tehran emphasized the agreement alone does not guarantee security in the strategic passage.…
The Institute for Supply Management's services index rose slightly to 54.1 in July, signaling continued expansion in the US services sector. New orders and business activity strengthened, but input costs climbed sharply to a reading of 70.3 amid higher oil and gasoline prices after a breakdown of a temporary agreement between the US and Iran. Emplo…
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the combined dollar value of natural gas and electricity trade between the United States and Canada rose in 2025. Higher natural gas prices and expanded trade volumes were the main contributors to the increase. Key figures include a 52% jump in the value of U.S. natural gas imports from Canad…
A sharp rise in U.S. Treasury yields prompted large hedging flows into SOFR-based swap futures early in the week, with mortgage investors appearing to pay fixed in swaps to offset extended portfolio duration caused by slower refinancing and lower prepayments. The activity pushed Eris SOFR futures volume to levels several times higher than the secon…
