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.
5,205 total articles
U.S. equities rose modestly as progress in Middle East negotiations and a mixed batch of corporate results supported risk appetite. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded consecutive closing records, with the Nasdaq marking a 12-session winning streak - its longest since 2009. Investors digested geopolitical developments, a surprise decline in U.S. indust…
Bangladesh's finance minister said the country needs to replenish capital in both the private sector and the banking system before other reforms can be effective. He described a serious capital shortfall, noted widespread stress among businesses and banks, and warned that rising energy costs driven by the Middle East conflict are inflicting roughly…
Brazil's central bank is exercising caution about the remaining size of its interest rate easing cycle as uncertainty from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran clouds inflation and growth prospects. Director of international affairs Paulo Picchetti said the balance of inflation risks has become more asymmetric since the March meeting, when the bank …
On April 16 in Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 224-204 to extend Temporary Protected Status eligibility for roughly 350,000 Haitians after the Department of Homeland Security moved to end those humanitarian protections. Ten Republicans and one independent joined Democrats to pass a three-year extension. The legislation now goes …
The Office of Management and Budget is putting safeguards in place intended to allow major federal agencies to begin using a version of Anthropic PBC’s Mythos artificial intelligence model, according to a memo reviewed by news outlets. The OMB chief information officer notified Cabinet departments that protections are being established, but the com…
Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told an IMF-World Bank spring meeting in Washington that independent central banks are a cornerstone of democratic governance and are necessary to deliver lower inflation and lower interest rates. His remarks come as U.S. allies express concern over political pressure and investigations surroundin…
On April 16, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon revised an injunction that had halted construction of a planned White House ballroom, saying his earlier order should be read to prohibit above-ground building while allowing below-ground work tied to national security. Leon criticized the Trump administration's attempt to treat the entire project as co…
Henry Paulson warned that a sudden loss of investor demand for US Treasuries could be highly disruptive and urged officials to develop an emergency response plan. He highlighted the unique dangers of a public debt funding crisis, outlined ways to address the fiscal shortfall, and cautioned that political resistance will complicate efforts to act be…
Kenya has asked the World Bank for rapid financial assistance to help cope with the economic fallout from the conflict in Iran, the nation's central bank governor said at the IMF-World Bank spring meetings. The request, described as significant, is intended to address immediate pressures such as petrol shortages and rising costs that could accelera…
Gulf Arab and European leaders estimate that negotiations to produce a US-Iran peace agreement will take about six months, and they are pressing for an extension of the current ceasefire to allow those talks to proceed. Leaders insist any deal must bar Iran from enriching uranium and from retaining long-range ballistic missiles, and they are callin…
The World Bank Group is preparing a guarantee facility worth up to $2 billion intended to support refinancing of a significant portion of Argentina's debt, the institution said. The plan, which would rely primarily on the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), remains pe…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers that U.S. firms continue to move operations to Mexico despite the USMCA accord. Greer said he will raise changes to product rules of origin with Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard during a second round of talks next week, and stressed that higher outside tariffs are necessary to incentiv…
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran, long the most forceful advocate for rapid interest-rate reductions, said he may lower his expectation for the number of cuts after recent inflation trends proved more persistent and energy price shocks changed the risk profile. Speaking in Washington, Miran said he moved his prior outlook from six cuts by end…
Finnish central bank governor Olli Rehn told a Washington conference that the European Central Bank still has room to look beyond the recent energy-driven rise in euro zone inflation, but warned that forceful action may be required if the shock sparks second-round effects on wages and expectations. Rehn described the outlook as 'foggy' and said no …
Finland's central bank governor Olli Rehn told a Washington conference that the European Central Bank still has an opportunity to treat the recent oil-driven uptick in inflation as a short-lived event, provided the shock does not trigger lingering price and wage pressures or shift long-term inflation expectations.
CFTC Chair Michael Selig testified to the House Agriculture Committee that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will continue issuing rules and carrying out its regulatory responsibilities despite having only one of five commissioners currently seated. Selig emphasized the need to maintain investor and consumer protections and market safeguards…
Spain's finance minister Carlos Cuerpo urged the European Union to expand joint debt issuance through the European Commission, saying the move could generate a large euro-denominated safe asset, reduce borrowing costs and save taxpayers money. Speaking in Washington at the Peterson Institute during the IMF and World Bank spring meetings, Cuerpo qua…
Anthropic on Thursday released Claude Opus 4.7, an incremental upgrade focused on software engineering and vision improvements. The model can process much larger images than earlier Claude versions, includes new user controls and security measures, and is available across major cloud platforms and Anthropic’s API at the same pricing as Opus 4.6.
The Bank of England says it is actively modelling how artificial intelligence could affect financial stability, using scenario analysis and simulations to probe risks such as herding behaviour and cyber vulnerability exposure. In a letter to the Treasury Committee, Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden set out work with international counterparts and defen…
The International Monetary Fund reported constructive consultations with Senegal this week over a prospective financing arrangement, but IMF Africa Director Abebe Selassie emphasized that further analysis and time are required to devise a credible, financeable plan to tackle a reported $13 billion in undisclosed debt and revive a halted $1.8 billio…
China’s foreign minister said on Thursday that prompting the United States and Iran to return to negotiations is a priority, arguing the prolonged conflict is seriously affecting international energy security and shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Wang Yi made the remarks in Beijing while meeting Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani a…
New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said uncertainty about the economic outlook - amplified by the Middle East conflict - limits the central bank's ability to provide firm forward guidance on interest rates. He reiterated that the Fed is positioned appropriately today, signaled that rates could be cut if inflation returned to 2%, and w…
U.S. industrial production declined in March, driven by a 0.1% drop in manufacturing output and broad weakness across motor vehicles, mining and utilities. Overall industrial output fell 0.5% for the month despite upward revisions to February, while capacity utilization eased and year-over-year growth remained positive.
European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel said the ECB began the current inflation shock from a comparatively strong starting point because the euro area resolved many economic and financial imbalances over the last decade. She highlighted greater resilience, dissipated imbalances and tighter sovereign spreads as factors that allowed the b…
A senior International Monetary Fund official recommended that Japan begin a measured increase in interest rates and keep fiscal support narrowly targeted, citing resilient domestic demand, improving wage dynamics and projected inflation convergence to the Bank of Japan's 2% target by 2027. The guidance comes ahead of an upcoming BOJ policy meeting…
