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.
5,221 total articles
The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board voted unanimously to keep the benchmark rate at 2.50%, citing risks to inflation and growth from the conflict in Iran and rising energy prices. Economists expect policy to remain unchanged through the year, while the government prepares a 26.2 trillion won supplementary budget to mitigate fuel-cost pressure…
Japan's corporate goods price index climbed 2.6% year-on-year in March, outpacing forecasts and accelerating from February, as higher costs for gasoline, chemical products and metal goods—linked to the conflict in the Middle East—boosted wholesale inflation and lifted import prices sharply on a yen basis.
President Donald Trump criticized Iran for limiting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran not to impose tolls on vessels, as a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran appears under strain and commercial ship traffic through the strait has dropped sharply from typical levels.
U.S. equity benchmarks rose on Thursday, extending a multi-day rally after a fragile ceasefire raised hopes of broader regional calm. Markets advanced despite a rebound in oil prices and fresh concerns over inflation, AI-driven disruption in software shares, and the concentrated role of technology in upcoming corporate earnings.
Market strategists nudged up forecasts for U.S. Treasury yields compared with a month earlier, even as a near-65% peak jump in oil since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and episodes of violence pushed yields around. Despite short-term turbulence and the removal of Fed rate-cut expectations for the year, median projections for the benchmark 10-year Tre…
Saudi Arabia has reported a drop in oil production capacity of almost 600,000 barrels per day following a series of attacks on energy-related infrastructure, including facilities, pipelines and refineries. The state news agency said one citizen was killed. The loss amounts to under one-tenth of the kingdom's usual crude exports. Saudi Aramco has be…
Mexico’s annual inflation rate climbed to 4.59% in March, the highest since October 2024, intensifying a dispute within the central bank over a recent 25 basis-point rate cut. Minutes from the March 26 meeting reveal a 3-2 vote to lower the policy rate to 6.75%, with two deputies urging caution amid rising oil prices and market volatility tied to t…
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned central banks to balance the risk of a persistent energy-driven inflation shock against signs of weakening demand. Speaking ahead of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, she said a short-lived oil supply shock tied to the conflict in the Middle East could allow policy rate…
Freddie Mac reports modest declines in benchmark mortgage rates for the week ending April 9, 2026, with the 30-year fixed-rate falling to 6.37% and the 15-year fixed-rate to 5.74%. The readings are lower than last week and slightly below the levels reported a year ago, according to the lender's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the IMF must finalize the 16th quota review approved in 2023 to ensure it has sufficiently large and immediate lending capacity. She expressed optimism that the review will secure approval from the U.S. Congress this year, noting the change raises quota lending resources by 50%…
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Thursday pushed back against remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that described Greenland as a "BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE." Nielsen called the comments unfortunate, stressed Greenland's commitment to the international order established since World War Two, and confirmed ongoing diplomatic dis…
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the war in the Middle East has produced an energy and supply shock that will increase near-term demand for IMF balance-of-payments support to $20 billion-$50 billion. She signaled a downgrade to the IMF's growth outlook, highlighted risks to energy and food markets, and urged c…
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has paused its principal UK data centre initiative - Stargate UK - citing an unfavourable regulatory backdrop and elevated energy expenses. Launched last September with Nvidia and Nscale, the project aimed to boost Britain’s sovereign compute capacity and accelerate domestic AI adoption. The company said it will resume …
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox Business he is confident Kevin Warsh will take office as Federal Reserve chair in May and that current Chair Jerome Powell has signaled he will step aside once a successor is confirmed. Powell, however, has said he will not leave until a criminal investigation led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro co…
Citigroup updated its outlook for U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds, projecting assets under management to exceed $25 trillion by the end of the decade from roughly $10.4 trillion as of March 2025. The brokerage raised its longer-term estimates as well, now anticipating more than $40 trillion by 2035, and flagged active ETFs, product innovation and…
New filings for U.S. unemployment insurance rose modestly in the latest week but remain at low absolute levels, offering no clear sign of widespread layoffs. The data may give the Federal Reserve flexibility to hold interest rates steady as it monitors inflation pressures and the economic effects of tensions in the Middle East.
Personal consumption expenditures inflation rose 0.4% in February, matching economists' expectations, while core PCE also climbed 0.4% for a third consecutive month. Year-over-year headline PCE was 2.8% and core PCE stood at 3.0%. Consumer spending strengthened with a 0.5% monthly increase, supported in part by large tax refunds even as higher ener…
Japan's Financial Services Agency has been reviewing major banks' exposure to private credit, a person familiar with the matter said, as strains in the global private credit market raise concerns about potential spillovers. While Japan's domestic private credit market is small, banks have increased financing to international private credit funds se…
U.S. equity futures were largely unchanged after government data showed the Personal Consumption Expenditures index rose 2.8% year-on-year in February, with core PCE at 3.0%, both matching economists' estimates. A separate Commerce Department release reported 0.5% growth in the fourth quarter, below the 0.7% estimate. Traders assessed how these rea…
Barclays expects the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged until September 2026, citing the March FOMC minutes that highlighted elevated inflation concerns tied to a recent energy price surge. While some participants left the door open to hikes, the predominance of downside employment risks and repeated references to eventual easing unde…
Poland's Monetary Policy Council kept the main interest rate at 3.75%, matching market expectations. The pause follows a 25 basis point cut last month and comes amid concerns that the Middle East conflict and a jump in commodity prices have pushed inflation higher, complicating the path for further easing.
A poll by the Idea Institute finds the centre-right Tisza party leading Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz ahead of a parliamentary election scheduled for Sunday. Tisza commanded 50% of decided voters in the survey, while Fidesz was at 37%. Among all respondents, support measured 39% for Tisza and 30% for Fidesz, with 21% undecided. The po…
Several large North American public pension funds are maintaining or expanding their private credit exposures even as parts of the private credit and BDC complex face heightened redemption pressure and investor concerns. Fund officials emphasize long-term strategies, selective manager selection and targeted allocation plans.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) and Blackstone Credit and Insurance have launched a joint aircraft leasing investment programme called Equator, targeting roughly $1.6 billion in annual deployments. DAE will source aircraft while its Aircraft Investor Services unit will manage the assets. The investor group will include capital from funds managed b…
Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), said the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed because Iran is imposing restrictions that prevent normal energy flows. He warned that supervised or conditional transit is equivalent to control, and said roughly 230 oil-laden vessels are ready to sail. ADNOC has loaded cargoes and intends …
