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.
7,188 total articles
European Central Bank chief supervisor Claudia Buch told euro zone finance ministers that reducing bank capital requirements would do little to expand lending given weak loan demand and heightened risks linked to the Middle East conflict, private market stress and cyber threats. She urged stronger cross-border frameworks including a common deposit …
Argentina's Energy Ministry published two resolutions that raise the domestic minimum prices for sugarcane-based bioethanol, corn-based bioethanol, and biodiesel for mandatory blending. The measures, published Monday in the official gazette, take effect immediately and remain until replaced by subsequent pricing decisions.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer reached out to European Union and German trade counterparts after President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff increase on EU cars and trucks. EU governments are pushing to swiftly implement their portion of a trade accord struck last year that was meant to block such tariff hikes, while the European Parlia…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the United States will monitor whether China steps up diplomatic efforts with Iran to press Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom," Bessent said he intends to press Chinese officials to join the U.S. in advocating for the strait's reopening, a…
A United Airlines Boeing 767-400, operating as Flight 169 from Venice, Italy, struck a vehicle and a light post on the New Jersey Turnpike during its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday around 2 p.m. local time. The aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries. Federal and airline authorities are investigating and t…
Net purchases of U.S. equity funds fell to $911 million in the week through April 29, the smallest weekly inflow since March 18, as rising crude oil prices and uncertainty after a Federal Reserve policy decision prompted a cautious stance. Technology stocks continued to see net buying, while healthcare experienced net outflows. Bond funds drew sign…
Zambia's government has publicly objected to U.S. efforts to connect a proposed health funding package - reportedly up to $2 billion over five years - with a separate critical minerals deal. Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe cited privacy concerns over data-sharing terms in the health memorandum and raised objections to provisions in the minerals fra…
QatarEnergy has extended a force majeure declaration on its liquefied natural gas deliveries through mid-June, citing continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Customers were notified by people familiar with the matter. The move follows repeated force majeure notices issued since late February and comes amid elevated global gas pric…
Germany's defence ministry said the United States has not definitively cancelled a Biden-era plan to station a battalion armed with long-range Tomahawk missiles in Germany, after Washington announced a 5,000-soldier reduction. The ministry noted the weapons were intended to be based in Germany and could still be deployed, and that European nations …
European Union governments are pressing the European Parliament and the Council to quickly finalize legislation that would carry out the bloc’s commitments under a trade deal with the United States. The move aims to head off a planned increase in U.S. tariffs on cars and trucks to 25%, announced by President Donald Trump, after negotiations on elim…
South Africa will see a sharp rise in fuel costs from May 6, with the retail price of 95-octane gasoline in Gauteng rising 14% to 26.63 rand per liter and wholesale diesel costs climbing by 24%, surpassing 30 rand per liter for the first time. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy attributed the increases to higher oil prices and a weaker …
European Union countries are pressing for rapid implementation of the bloc's commitments under a trade agreement with the United States to prevent a looming 25% tariff on EU cars and trucks. Negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council will resume on Wednesday amid calls for safeguards and disagreement over the pace of legislative a…
Crude and Brent futures surged up to 5% on Monday after reports that Iran struck a U.S. naval vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran and semi-official outlets described a missile strike and stepped-up naval warnings, while a senior U.S. official denied any U.S. ship had been hit. Oil pared some gains later in the session.
Global equity funds recorded net inflows for a sixth consecutive week through April 29, driven by strong first-quarter corporate results that lifted the MSCI World Index to a record. Asian markets saw particularly large inflows, while bond funds continued to attract capital and money market funds experienced notable withdrawals.
A U.S. magistrate judge in Minnesota ruled that federal law permits the Department of Justice to appoint active-duty Judge Advocate General (JAG) attorneys to prosecute civilians for offenses unrelated to military duties, concluding that two congressional statutes create exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act. The decision came in litigation brought…
Barclays has revised its outlook and no longer expects the Federal Reserve to cut rates in 2026, instead projecting a single 25-basis-point cut in March 2027. The change stems from an updated oil price baseline that keeps energy-driven inflation elevated, prompting upward revisions to headline and core PCE inflation and a modest downgrade to 2026 G…
Moody’s has revised Vietnam’s sovereign outlook from stable to positive while keeping the Ba2 rating, highlighting institutional improvements tied to reforms since late 2024 and a reduced threat from U.S. trade measures. The move follows market upgrades by index providers and commentary from another ratings agency signaling robust growth prospects …
The U.S. Treasury is expected to hold coupon auction sizes steady for a ninth consecutive quarter when it publishes its quarterly financing estimates and refunding plan in early May. A potential surge in tariff refunds following a Supreme Court ruling is refocusing market attention on whether, and when, the Treasury will expand issuance of longer-d…
Global markets head into the new week with attention split between developments in the Strait of Hormuz and a slate of U.S. economic releases and central bank remarks. Washington has proposed a plan to reopen shipping lanes in the strait, while Tehran has issued stern warnings against foreign naval actions. Domestically, the April employment report…
A seasonally adjusted purchasing managers' index (PMI) sponsored by Absa climbed to 52.6 in April from 49.0 in March, signalling a return to expansion in South African manufacturing for the first time since September 2025. Business activity and new sales orders both moved back into growth, while input costs were lifted by a weaker rand and higher i…
Slovak European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir told readers that a rate increase in June is 'all but inevitable' as rising energy costs spread into the wider economy. The ECB left rates unchanged recently but signaled the possibility of hikes as inflation risks move toward the 'adverse' scenario in its projections. Markets are pricing in se…
Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told President Emmanuel Macron that the European Central Bank should wait for clear evidence inflationary pressures are becoming entrenched before raising interest rates. The ECB recently paused on rate changes but debated tightening to counter surging inflation from energy costs and signalled a p…
Barclays reiterated its forecast that the Bank of Japan will begin raising interest rates in June, on the condition that tensions in the Middle East ease. The bank sees the BoJ's latest decision as preparatory for earlier rate increases, and warns that improved geopolitical stability and clearer domestic economic signals would heighten upside infla…
U.S. stock futures traded mixed as investors digested a renewed U.S. effort to get vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, awaited the Treasury's quarterly financing update and monitored corporate developments including GameStop's unsolicited $56 billion bid for eBay and Berkshire Hathaway's quarterly results. Market attention is divided betwe…
The European Central Bank's quarterly Survey of Professional Forecasters expects a near-term rise in euro zone inflation driven by elevated oil prices, but forecasters predict inflation will fall back to around the ECB's 2% target within a few years. The survey, reviewed at last week's rate-setting meeting, also forecasts slower economic growth thi…
