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.
5,201 total articles
Global markets and political capitals are processing a volatile mix of optimism and uncertainty after President Donald Trump announced what he described as a breakthrough with Iran, including a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and concessions on enriched uranium. Tehran’s denials and conflicting accounts of financial terms have left traders a…
SummaryCiti Research has assessed the economic fallout of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz and concluded that, while such an event would create material headwinds through higher oil prices, the broader global economy is positioned to withstand a severe disruption. The bank points to several adjustment mechanisms - including alternative s…
A whistleblower nonprofit has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging improper withholding of records that the group says show USDA officials recognized realistic pathways for toxic chemical contamination of the local food supply after a 2023 Ohio train derailment. The organization contends the Environmental Protection Agency…
The World Bank on Friday introduced a targeted strategy to help small island and other small states confront structural vulnerabilities - remoteness, exposure to shocks and narrow economic bases - by concentrating efforts on job creation. The plan prioritizes health, affordable energy, resilient infrastructure and support for micro- and small busin…
Barclays Chief Executive C. S. Venkatakrishnan cautioned that Anthropic's frontier AI model Mythos represents a serious danger to the global banking system due to its advanced coding capabilities that could identify and exploit cybersecurity weaknesses. He warned that successor models are likely and that regulators and selected organisations are al…
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei arrived at the White House on April 17 for talks amid the startup's contract dispute with the Pentagon. The meeting follows government attention to Anthropic's recently announced AI model, Mythos, which is being tested in a controlled program for cybersecurity defense. Discussions between the company and the administratio…
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on five entities and individuals accused of recruiting ex-Colombian military personnel to fight for a paramilitary force in Sudan, a move the department said targets a network it blames for exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The Treasury urged a three-month, unconditional humanitarian truc…
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said inflation is likely to climb in the near term and that a temporary increase in short-term inflation expectations would not trouble the central bank. He cautioned, however, that persistent elevation of medium- and long-term expectations would be a concern. Macklem also highlighted cyber risks tied to new lar…
The International Monetary Fund has signaled it is prepared to back Venezuela with a financial support program once necessary conditions are satisfied. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the Fund will assemble a staff team to work with Venezuelan authorities, but stressed that the country faces significant challenges in restoring macro…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the Middle East conflict is likely to push inflation higher in the near term and complicate monetary-policy decisions. He argued that a rapid de-escalation would allow underlying inflation to drift back toward the Fed's 2% goal and leave open the possibility of interest-rate reductions later in the y…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the Middle East war is likely to lift inflation in the near term and complicate monetary policy choices. He warned that sustained energy-price pressure and constrained shipping through the Strait could embed higher inflation across goods and services and slow activity and employment. Waller also said…
The International Monetary Fund warns that the Middle East war will deepen economic divergence within Latin America and the Caribbean. While oil-producing countries are receiving short-term relief from stronger energy prices, tourism-reliant Caribbean nations and energy-importing Central American states face a deteriorating outlook, with the IMF fl…
San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said on April 17 that Kevin Warsh, the nominee for Federal Reserve chair, will arrive with policy intentions but ultimately must respond to economic surprises. Speaking at UC Berkeley’s Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics’ Spring 2026 Policy Advisory Board meeting, Daly emphasized that e…
European Central Bank supervisor Claudia Buch told a forum that the balance sheets of euro zone banks have not yet fully incorporated elevated geopolitical tensions. She said it may take two to three years for corporate stress to surface and for banks' loan books to show the effects. Buch also highlighted cyber threats as part of the geopolitical r…
Summary: The Republic of Congo has privately informed investors that it has formally requested a new financing arrangement from the International Monetary Fund, according to three sources. The country completed its prior IMF programme in March 2025, which provided about 324 million SDRs (roughly $430 million at the time) over three years. Governmen…
DeepSeek, until now funded solely by its parent High-Flyer Capital Management, has started conversations with outside investors to raise at least $300 million at a valuation of at least $10 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The move follows previous decisions to decline funding offers from major Chinese venture firms and techno…
Ebanx, the Brazilian payments company that enables global merchants to accept local payment methods in emerging markets, said it is broadening its international reach with immediate launches in Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey and scheduled moves into Malaysia and Vietnam in the coming quarter. The company has shifted a larger share of gross profit o…
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stopped short of committing to a rate rise at the April policy meeting as uncertainty from the Iran war complicates the outlook, yet he signalled enough hawkishness during IMF-related talks to leave a hike in play for June if not April. Markets pared back bets for an April move, but many observers and market prices…
Iran's announcement that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid a regional ceasefire and the resulting plunge in oil prices have prompted markets to price in the possibility of the U.S. Federal Reserve starting interest-rate cuts as early as December. Fed officials, however, confront unresolved questions about the economic impact of a seven-week…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said risks to euro area inflation are skewed to the upside amid the Iran conflict, with uncertainty rising and officials gathering data on the pass-through from higher energy prices. The ECB is assessing whether policy action is required, but appears unlikely to move at this month’s meeting as it wa…
Global equities and government bonds rose sharply while oil and the dollar fell after Iran’s foreign minister declared that all commercial vessels may transit the Strait of Hormuz during the remainder of a ceasefire tied to Lebanon. Markets interpreted the statement as reducing a major supply-side risk, prompting a swift revaluation of commodity pr…
The Russell 2000 recorded its first intraday record high on Friday since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran conflict, joining other major U.S. indexes at all-time highs. The gain follows a correction confirmed less than a month earlier and comes as oil prices fell after reports the Strait of Hormuz reopened, reducing near-term inflation concerns and imp…
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said the central bank should prioritise returning inflation to its 2% target above other competing policy trade-offs. He argued that recent shocks stemming from the Middle East conflict and higher energy prices represent a real economic shock that monetary policy cannot absorb fully, and noted the need for a…
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are working on a concise agreement to end the conflict as it nears 50 days, centered on a U.S. proposal to release $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets in return for Iran relinquishing portions of its enriched uranium stockpile and agreeing to a voluntary halt on enrichment for a limited period.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office granted security clearance to Peter Mandelson last year despite objections from vetting officials. The disclosure, tied to Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the United States, has prompted opposition demands for Starmer's resignation and renewed scrut…
