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
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed Katherine Szarama in the role of acting director for its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research following the departure of Vinay Prasad. The center is responsible for oversight of vaccines, gene therapies and the nation’s blood supply. Commissioner Marty Makary has said a permanent replacement …
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari dissented from the FOMC policy statement, supporting a hold in the federal funds rate but opposing language that effectively signals a forthcoming rate cut. Citing heightened uncertainty tied to the conflict in Iran and its effects on energy prices and inflation expectations, Kashkari argued …
Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari said geopolitical disruptions tied to the war with Iran could push global energy prices far higher and compel the Federal Reserve to pursue a series of federal funds rate increases to protect its 2% inflation goal. He dissented at the Fed meeting, arguing the policy statement's language implying an easing bia…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack dissented from the Federal Open Market Committee statement this week, arguing that the committee should drop language that implies a bias toward future rate cuts. Hammack said uncertainty around the economic outlook has grown in 2026, that inflationary pressures are broad based, and that risi…
The Competition and Markets Authority found that overall retailer margins at UK fuel stations held steady during the initial disruption from the Iran conflict, though margins remain at historically elevated levels. The regulator has stepped up monitoring and will investigate specific cases where margins increased between February and March. Local p…
A Bank of England quarterly survey of financial firms conducted April 15-17 found respondents did not anticipate the BoE raising interest rates this year but also no longer expected rate cuts. The median projected Bank Rate for the end of 2026 rose to 3.75% from a prior expectation of 3.25%, while interest rate futures imply at least two quarter-po…
European Central Bank Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf warned that energy prices may remain elevated for an extended period given the lack of a clear timeline for the end of the Middle East conflict. Writing on the Irish central bank's blog, he said he will closely monitor indirect cost-push inflation across production, transportation and …
S&P 500 and Dow futures inched up Friday following the indices' largest monthly gains in years. Strong corporate results, led by Apple, helped sustain the rally despite data showing faster inflation and a pick-up in first-quarter GDP. Concerns persist about weakening consumer spending, declining personal savings and the growing economic strain from…
Bank of Japan projections for money market conditions point to an unusually large net outflow that could signal up to 5.48 trillion yen ($35 billion) spent on yen-buying intervention. The divergence between projected outflows and market forecasts, together with reports of an intervention on Thursday, marks Tokyo's latest effort to steady the curren…
U.S. equity futures edged higher after record closes on Wall Street as investors digested a stronger-than-expected outlook from Apple alongside ongoing corporate earnings and heightened geopolitical tensions. Oil held weekly gains amid rising Iran-related risks, and the Japanese yen weakened toward the 157 level despite official intervention signal…
Japan's yen rallied sharply after senior officials signalled readiness to act in currency markets and official buying earlier in the week supported the fragile currency. Comments from top foreign exchange diplomat Atsushi Mimura, coupled with prior intervention and renewed rhetoric from Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, heightened speculation of f…
European Central Bank policymakers said they may need to tighten monetary policy, potentially as soon as June, citing a weakening inflation outlook and the risk that energy-driven price rises could spill over into broader goods and services inflation. While the ECB kept rates unchanged this week, senior officials warned higher rates remain a live o…
Japan has executed a $2.2 billion loan agreement to finance the first set of projects under its $550 billion pledge of investment to the United States. The loan combines state-backed financing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation with funds from major commercial banks, and is tied to a trade arrangement that reduced U.S. tariffs on Jap…
Standard Chartered has revised its forecast, now expecting the European Central Bank to raise rates by 25 basis points in June after policymakers signalled a hawkish stance. The bank stressed the call is conditional on incoming economic data and left open the possibility of a continued pause. Markets are pricing a high probability of a June hike, a…
A host of macro developments - rising oil prices amid the Middle East conflict, upcoming U.S. payrolls, UK municipal elections, a busy European earnings slate and a closely watched Reserve Bank of Australia decision - set the tone for financial markets this week. Traders will monitor the balance between elevated energy costs, labour data and centra…
U.S. equity buying pushed markets higher after mixed regional signals, with strong corporate results in technology and industrials outweighing a sharp oil shock. Narrow earnings upgrades focused on semiconductors, IT and communications have powered the rally, while elevated crude prices and central bank caution underscore inflation and currency ris…
Japan moved into foreign exchange markets on Thursday to buy yen against the U.S. dollar, according to officials familiar with the situation, marking the latest attempt to counter a sustained depreciation that has been intensified by a jump in oil prices linked to the Iran conflict. Policymakers are openly weighing intervention not only in currency…
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the government will announce new measures on Monday aimed at reducing household indebtedness. The ‘Novo Desenrola Brasil’ program will allow consumers to renegotiate credit card, personal and student loan debt with lower interest rates, extended payment terms, sizable discounts and the option to use up to 20…
The yen slipped modestly against the U.S. dollar on Friday but remained on track for its largest weekly gain in over two months after Japan's finance authorities intervened to buy yen. Market participants are watching closely for additional intervention as holiday-thinned trading and comments from officials keep volatility elevated.
A recent poll of economists found that the Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to raise its official cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% at its May 5 meeting. The survey also shows an increasing share of economists forecasting additional tightening, driven in part by higher oil prices after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and persist…
Tokyo's core consumer inflation eased to 1.5% in April, remaining below the Bank of Japan's 2% target for a third consecutive month. Fuel subsidies helped offset rising raw material costs driven by the Middle East conflict, though analysts warn that surging oil prices and a weak yen could push consumer inflation higher in coming months, increasing …
At a Financial Literacy Month event in the Treasury's historic Cash Room, Secretary Scott Bessent encouraged more than 50 Washington-area students to sign up for new tax-free 'Trump accounts' for savers under 18, highlighted a redesigned mymoney.gov site and showcased interactive learning tools ranging from a World Cup-themed quiz game to Marvel co…
A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction blocking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from enforcing policies that treated nationality as a "significant negative factor" and paused processing of certain immigration applications for people from countries on the administration's travel-ban lists. The ruling, affecting roughly 2…
U.S. equities closed April on a strong note as robust technology earnings and investment figures reinforced the view that AI-related spending still has significant runway. At the same time, Japanese authorities intervened to buy yen, producing the currency's largest one-day gain since 2022 and prompting notable moves across FX, bond and equity mark…
Colombia's monetary authority kept its policy rate at 11.25% in a unanimous decision, defying broad expectations for a further rise. The move comes amid public confrontations between the central bank and President Gustavo Petro, and ahead of a presidential election round that could influence economic and policy uncertainty.
