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.
6,933 total articles
A World Bank rapid assessment finds that the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 produced $19.6 billion in direct physical damage. The estimate covers destroyed residential, non-residential and infrastructure assets in northern regions including the capital, but does not include higher costs tied to rebuilding stronger or clearing debr…
China issued a renewable energy plan that establishes a binding commitment to increase wind and solar power generation by 53% from 2025 to 2030, raise total renewable generation to 1.8 billion tons of coal equivalent by 2030, and expand dispatchable renewable capacity and hydropower storage substantially.
A bipartisan pair of U.S. House members introduced legislation that would permit the Department of Homeland Security to order shutdowns of artificial intelligence models when those systems pose threats to human life or the economy. The 'AI Kill Switch Act,' sponsored by Democrat Ted Lieu and Republican Nathaniel Moran, defines a trigger as a 'loss-…
The South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee opted to leave the key policy rate at 7% on Thursday, surprising most economists who had forecast a 25 basis point increase. The committee said the existing stance remained appropriate after a rate increase at its previous meeting in May. The decision was not unanimous, and markets, includi…
Sweden has declared the extraction of critical metals and rare earth minerals a national security interest, a policy shift intended to accelerate planning and permitting, draw investment into domestic projects and lessen Europe’s dependence on Chinese mining and refining capacity. The designation targets faster land allocation for mines and contemp…
Statistics Canada reported that Canadian retail sales rose 1.0% to $73.7 billion in May, with increases recorded in all nine retail subsectors. An advance estimate indicates a 0.4% rise in June, which would represent six straight months of growth if confirmed. Notable moves included a 3.1% gain at gasoline stations and a 0.7% rise at motor vehicle …
The European Central Bank left its deposit rate unchanged at 2.25% while warning that recent energy price pressures tied to a widening Middle East conflict could push inflation higher. The decision maintained a hawkish option for additional tightening later this year, prompting movement in currency and short-term bond markets and prompting differin…
Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits declined by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 187,000 for the week ended July 18, below Reuters economists' forecasts of 212,000. The report, which covers the survey week for the July national employment report, also showed a fall in people on jobless benefit rolls to 1.796 million in the week ended…
The European Central Bank kept its key deposit rate at 2.25%, citing significant uncertainty tied to an energy price shock related to the ongoing war in the Middle East. While headline inflation in the 21-member euro area is near 3% annually, the bank said the full impact of higher energy costs on prices and wages has not yet materialized. The ECB …
Short sellers have amassed an estimated $15.5 billion in unrealized gains since SpaceX completed its mid-June IPO, according to Ortex Technologies. The company's shares have fallen below the $135 IPO price after peaking at $225.64, with large portions of the free float on loan and fresh lows reached near $115.26. Market participants cited volatilit…
Truflation's latest projection predicts headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation was unchanged month-over-month in June, with the annual headline rate easing to 3.7%. The firm's early read on core PCE - the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge - points to a 0.2% monthly rise and a 3.3% year-over-year increase, underscoring …
Futures tied to Canada's S&P/TSX 60 fell modestly Thursday morning as oil climbed and gold eased amid intensifying conflict in the Middle East. The pullback follows a record close for the TSX average in the previous session driven by higher commodity prices. U.S. futures also declined ahead of a slate of major corporate earnings, with tech-sector s…
Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen said they struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, hitting the Encelia and claiming an attack on the Layla as well. The incident comes amid fresh U.S.-Iran exchanges of strikes, warnings about a Houthi blockade of Saudi ports near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and market moves that lifted …
Turkey's central bank left its one-week repo rate at 37%, maintaining the overnight lending rate at 40% and the overnight borrowing rate at 35.5%. The Monetary Policy Committee said the underlying trend of inflation eased slightly in June but that leading indicators point to a temporary rise in July. Officials highlighted growing energy price press…
ING Economics argues that sterling’s advance against the euro in the past month reflects market mechanics - including positioning, carry trades and merger-and-acquisition flows - rather than a durable improvement in Britain’s underlying economic fundamentals. The broker forecasts EUR/GBP will move higher to 0.88 by year-end and to 0.90 in 2027, whi…
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s decision to avoid forward guidance on interest rates is confronting renewed inflation risks from rising oil prices and potential new tariffs. Several Fed officials have adopted a firmer tone, signaling willingness to tighten policy if inflation does not resume a downward path. With the Fed meeting scheduled for J…
Senator Elizabeth Warren has accused leading artificial intelligence companies of lobbying U.S. trade negotiators to restrict regulatory access to AI model information within the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, called for the removal of …
A renewed jump in oil prices tied to escalated Middle East hostilities lifted euro-zone government bond yields to multi-year highs and refocused attention on a closely watched European Central Bank meeting. Weak results from STMicroelectronics weighed on some equity sectors in Europe, while Asian markets, led by South Korea's KOSPI and key memory a…
China's commerce ministry said it is collecting views from domestic firms, industry groups and local authorities on a proposed reciprocal tariff-cut arrangement with the United States that would apply to roughly $30 billion of trade. Officials said teams from both capitals are closely coordinating the structure and operating model of a joint Board …
U.S. futures moved lower as investors digested quarterly reports from major technology firms including Alphabet, Tesla and IBM, while escalating U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi attacks lifted oil and revived inflation concerns. Alphabet and Tesla reported rising capital expenditure and negative free cash flow tied to AI-related investment. IBM pared…
A wide majority of economists surveyed expect the Bank of Japan to lift its policy rate again by the end of December, with many flagging October as a possible timing. The poll highlights the central bank's dilemma: persistent inflation pressures amplified by a weak yen argue for further tightening, but faster hikes risk raising borrowing costs for …
The dollar held steady as renewed tensions between the United States and Iran supported demand for the safe-haven currency. A fresh round of U.S. strikes on Iran and Houthi claims of attacks on Saudi tankers helped lift Brent crude above $95 a barrel, stoking inflation worries and sending two-year U.S. Treasury yields to a 17-month high. The Japane…
U.S. equity benchmarks slipped as technology names delivered mixed results and traders positioned for a heavy slate of Big Tech earnings. The Nasdaq underperformed, the S&P 500 edged lower and the Dow was essentially flat. Heightened tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil to its highest close since June 11, underpinning inflation concerns tha…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Senate committee he hopes to secure interim trade arrangements with both Mexico and Canada by the end of the year, while more difficult changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are expected to be addressed in 2027. His testimony signals that a full renewal of the six-year-old pact will not be compl…
President Donald Trump will unveil an expanded Ratepayer Protection Pledge intended to prevent the rising electricity needs of data centers tied to the AI boom from increasing bills for ordinary households and businesses. The nonbinding pledge, now said to cover 80% of all power delivered to U.S. homes and businesses, is backed by governors, lawmak…
