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.
2,617 total articles
After four months of declines the U.S. dollar may be ready for a pause or modest rebound as a mix of political and economic developments eases previous pressures. Market positioning and derivatives flows show investors hedging against further dollar falls, while some strategists turn more constructive on the currency given improving U.S. growth pro…
A nonprofit organization and two Washington residents filed suit in federal court seeking to halt the Trump administration’s proposed overhaul of East Potomac Park, including the century-old public golf course. Plaintiffs say the administration’s move to terminate a long-term lease and pursue reconstruction violates a congressional act from 1897 an…
The UK unemployment rate climbed to 5.2%, the highest level since January 2021, renewing market and analyst expectations that the Bank of England may begin cutting interest rates in March. A range of major banks and economic research firms point to weakening hiring, falling payrolls and moderating wage growth as the main drivers behind forecasts fo…
Erste Group expects the National Bank of Romania to keep its policy rate at 6.50% at the upcoming February meeting. The forecast notes a modest upward revision to NBR’s inflation outlook for the short-to-medium term, with core inflation rising more than previously projected. Erste does not anticipate the first rate cut until May 2026, attributing r…
A monthly Bank of America survey of 190 asset managers finds growing conviction that fiscal stimulus in Germany is filtering into macro data and helping lift the regional growth outlook. Respondents expressed increased preference for German equities, greater optimism for European cyclicals and small caps, and concentrated sector overweights in heal…
U.S. equity futures traded around the flatline as markets entered a holiday-shortened week with key economic data and corporate results looming. Investors continued a rotation from high-growth technology into defensive sectors amid scrutiny of AI-related spending, while Brent crude and gold eased ahead of U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva and a slate of U.…
A monthly Bank of America poll of global fund managers shows rising optimism about a global boom and strong earnings growth expectations, even as a record share of respondents worry that companies are overextending on capital spending. Cash holdings ticked up slightly, while investors remain heavily overweight equities and commodities and significa…
Annual growth in regular average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, slowed to 4.2% in the three months to December 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, down from 4.4% in the three months to November, the Office for National Statistics reported. The data feed into Bank of England monitoring of inflation, while investors move to price …
A finance ministry estimate reviewed by Reuters indicates Japan could see annual bond issuance rise to as much as 38 trillion yen in the fiscal year beginning April 2029, a 28% increase from the 29.6 trillion yen projected for fiscal 2026. The projection reflects higher debt-servicing costs driven by rising long-term yields and greater social welfa…
The U.S. dollar held recent gains in light trading as markets awaited the Federal Reserve's minutes and advance U.S. GDP figures later in the week. The yen pared losses after disappointing Japanese growth data raised expectations of more government stimulus. The Australian and New Zealand dollars slipped amid central bank caution and upcoming polic…
Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s February meeting show the board raised the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85% because it concluded inflationary pressures had become more persistent and widespread and that financial conditions were no longer sufficiently restrictive. The central bank said it lacked a "high degree of confidence in any…
Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s February board meeting show policymakers judged a 25 basis point increase to 3.85% was required to avoid persistently high inflation, but they stopped short of committing to a specific future trajectory for the cash rate. The board highlighted stronger-than-expected domestic demand, a resilient labour ma…
Havana's long-lived fleet of vintage gasoline cars is yielding ground to electric vehicles as Cuba confronts a severe fuel shortfall. With U.S. moves to cut off oil shipments from Venezuela and warnings against other suppliers, the island has stepped up fuel rationing and is relying on state-run electric transport and private operators to keep peop…
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the appointment of Janice Charette as Canada’s chief trade negotiator to the United States. Charette will serve as a senior advisor to the prime minister and to Dominic LeBlanc on the upcoming joint review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), a pact that protects much of Canada’s exports from U.…
Ecuador's shrimp industry reported a 20% year-on-year increase in export revenues for 2025, reaching $8.4 billion and surpassing oil as the nation's largest export. Industry leaders attribute the record to sustained investment in aquaculture and a transitory advantage from U.S. tariff adjustments tied to India, while China remains the primary marke…
UBS economists Mark Haefele and Vincent Heaney argue that evidence of cooling tariff-driven inflation in U.S. goods prices, alongside slowing shelter costs and softer consumer inflation expectations, supports a case for the Federal Reserve to resume cutting rates from around mid-year. The bank expects two 25-basis-point cuts between June and Septem…
European Union finance ministers are set to discuss a set of 11 measures proposed by the European Commission designed to increase the international use of the euro. The proposals range from removing internal trade barriers and harmonising corporate law to issuing more joint debt, launching a digital euro, and expanding euro-denominated digital asse…
Investors face a condensed U.S. trading week with a dense slate of economic releases and a few high-profile corporate reports. Key data include the personal consumption expenditures price index and an advance reading on fourth-quarter GDP, while the Federal Reserve’s minutes should offer more detail on policymakers' thinking after their recent paus…
Traders face a shortened U.S. session and a packed calendar of data and corporate earnings as fresh negotiations between the U.S. and Iran add a geopolitical overlay. Inflation readings and growth figures this week will be watched closely by the Federal Reserve, while corporate reports from major names and developments in the media sector provide a…
The UK government is considering moving more quickly to increase defence expenditure to 3% of gross domestic product, with advisers to the prime minister examining ways to achieve the target ahead of the previously stated timetable. No decision has been taken, but officials acknowledge that current plans do not fully cover escalating defence costs.…
Markets enter a thin-turned-busy week as much of Asia celebrates the Lunar New Year and investors await a slate of corporate earnings and macroeconomic data. Walmart’s quarterly report will be scrutinized for clues on U.S. consumer spending after mixed retail and employment figures. European mining giants face results against a backdrop of volatile…
Asian markets opened a quiet week amid regional holidays, but fresh Japanese GDP figures undercut recent equity gains. December-quarter GDP expanded just 0.2% annualised, well below expectations, while year-on-year growth slowed sharply. At the same time, chipmakers in Taiwan and South Korea surged on heavy AI-related spending by hyperscalers. With…
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold their first bilateral meeting since her decisive election win. The discussion, scheduled for 5 p.m. local time, is expected to touch on the central bank's recent rate tightening and market speculation about another rate rise as early as March or April amid a higher cost o…
Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund have renegotiated elements of a proposed $8.2 billion lending programme to reduce the scope of politically sensitive tax increases, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. The IMF board is expected to review the revised programme at its next meeting; its approval is necessary for unlocking further internati…
The Japanese yen retreated modestly on Monday after a strong weekly gain driven by reduced political uncertainty, while the U.S. dollar held steady following softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data. Markets face light liquidity because of regional holidays, and traders are recalibrating expectations for Bank of Japan and Federal Reserve policy mov…
