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 European Commission has approved a temporary framework to expand state aid for businesses facing higher fuel and fertilizer costs after oil prices rose when the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the Iran war. The measures, valid until the end of the year, allow compensation of up to 70% of extra costs for agriculture, fishery and transport firms…
Federal Reserve officials last convened just after the U.S.-led war on Iran began and had limited evidence beyond a sharp rise in gasoline prices to judge its economic implications. In the weeks since, incoming data have clarified some trends - most notably higher headline inflation - while leaving core elements of the Fed’s policy calculus, such a…
The Senate Banking Committee voted along party lines to advance Kevin Warsh's nomination to lead the Federal Reserve, setting up a full Senate confirmation vote expected the week of May 11. The move comes as Jerome Powell chairs what is widely anticipated to be his final policy meeting and as questions persist about the future composition of the Fe…
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at its latest policy meeting, with officials debating whether to warn that rising energy costs could push underlying inflation higher. Elevated global oil prices tied to the U.S.-led conflict with Iran have renewed concerns that a temporary energy shock could require interest …
Jerome Powell’s term as Federal Reserve chair, bookended by nominations from different presidents and marked by both market turbulence and bold crisis response, appears to be drawing to a close. His leadership encompassed early friction with President Donald Trump over rate increases, a sweeping and unconventional Fed reaction to the COVID-19 shock…
The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep its policy rate at 2.25% on April 29 while publishing fresh forecasts in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report. The projections will be the first since the February 28 onset of the Iran war, an event that has pushed crude and gasoline prices higher and prompted scrutiny over whether the shock will broade…
The Kremlin said Russia will remain a member of OPEC+ after the United Arab Emirates announced its departure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the UAE’s move as a sovereign choice Russia respects, while stressing Moscow’s hope that the development does not mark the end of the OPEC+ arrangement. Russia welcomed the UAE’s pledge to keep coor…
The Asian Development Bank has cut its growth forecasts for developing Asia and the Pacific and raised its inflation outlook, citing the economic ripple effects of the war in the Middle East. The bank warns that further escalation and sustained oil-price shocks could deepen the slowdown and push inflation substantially higher, while urging central …
Investors have established the largest short yen exposure in nearly two years, selling the currency against several major peers and creating a fresh challenge for Japan’s willingness to defend the yen. The Bank of Japan’s decision to keep policy rates unchanged, combined with negative real interest rates and steady rhetoric from Tokyo that has not …
Federal Reserve policy takes center stage as the FOMC meets on a day when Jerome Powell appears set to relinquish the chairmanship. The Senate is expected to vote on Kevin Warsh’s confirmation as discussions focus on the Fed’s independence, the bank's internal divisions and how the next leadership will handle White House pressure for rate cuts. Mar…
The U.S. president has instructed aides to ready plans for an extended blockade of Iran aimed at constricting oil exports and curbing shipping, with officials framing the approach as a less risky alternative to renewed heavy military action or a swift diplomatic exit. The move follows a ceasefire that paused major bombing but left regional tensions…
The U.S. dollar strengthened modestly as market participants prepared for a closely watched Federal Reserve policy decision likely to mark the end of Jerome Powell's term as chair. Ongoing conflict in the Middle East and fading hopes for a quick diplomatic resolution kept safe-haven demand intact. Currencies traded in narrow ranges in subdued Asian…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has opened a nomination window for clinicians and researchers to join the Preventive Services Task Force. The panel, which normally comprises 16 members, has not met in over a year, with three consecutive meetings canceled and five members’ terms expiring in De…
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research has downgraded its UK growth forecasts for 2024 and 2027, citing a surge in oil and gas prices linked to the Iran war. NIESR now expects inflation to accelerate into early 2027 before returning to the Bank of England's 2% target only in 2028, and warns of a heightened recession risk in an adver…
Bank of Mexico Governor Victoria Rodriguez told a Senate committee that inflation is expected to resume a gradual decline toward the bank's 3.0% target, even after a recent rise in some fruit and vegetable prices. The central bank's board, she said, is close to concluding a rate-cutting cycle that began in early 2024 and may consider one final 25 b…
U.S. technology shares fell sharply on Tuesday as investors reassessed lofty growth expectations ahead of a raft of major earnings reports. Rising oil prices and climbing global yields heightened concerns about central banks' ability to steer a worsening mix of growth and inflation. Separately, a column examined outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's r…
The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 35 individuals and entities today as part of a campaign against Iran's shadow banking architecture. The move singles out rahbar companies that operate layers of overseas shell firms and overseas bank accounts to move tens of billions of dollars tied to sanctions evasion, illicit oil sa…
President Donald Trump publicly condemned German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for comments he said implied acceptability of an Iranian nuclear arsenal. Trump used social media to warn that a nuclear-armed Iran would hold the world hostage and to criticize Germany's economic performance. Merz had accused Iran of humiliating U.S. officials and questione…
Rising crude oil prices have pushed soybean oil to multi-year highs, driving North American soy crushing margins to levels not seen since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The strength is supporting profits at major oilseed processors such as Bunge Global and Archer Daniels Midland, offsetting some energy and trade pressures and encouraging analys…
The U.S. Treasury sold seven-year notes at a 4.175% yield, a hair above the when-issued yield of 4.170%. The sale posted a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.51 — equal to the one-year average but the lowest such result this year — and saw indirect bidders take 58.4% of the allotment while dealers and direct bidders comprised the balance. The sector did not c…
The U.S. Department of Justice has returned with a second indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, according to a person familiar with the matter. Key elements of the case - including the specific charges and where the indictment will be filed - have not been disclosed. Media reports have suggested a connection to a social media post Com…
Enterprise Products Partners Chief Executive Jim Teague told investors on an earnings call that markets are underplaying the potential global supply impact if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, estimating 12 million to 15 million barrels per day of crude, refined products, propane and petrochemical supplies could be constrained. The company also …
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe ran the marathon in 1:59:30 in London wearing Adidas’ new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. The victory and sub-two performance were driven by a collection of design changes: a 97 gram racing shoe, an outsole developed with Continental, a kite-surfing inspired upper, a foam reduced by 50% and shortened laces. Adidas plans limite…
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is preparing a program to renegotiate more than 100 billion reais ($20 billion) in household debt, offering discounts of up to 90% and refinancing the remainder with lower rates backed by the FGO. The initiative, which may also lean on FGTS resources, targets lower-income workers and comes as household debt climb…
Shell Plc Chief Executive Wael Sawan warned that disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz blockade have removed roughly 900 million barrels of oil production in recent months, a shortfall that has been met by stock drawdowns and risks keeping markets tight for months and possibly into next year. He said the disruption affects both crude and liquefi…
