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. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee has opened confirmation hearings for President Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. Senators and markets are watching for signals about the Fed's likely interest-rate trajectory and broader questions about the central bank's independence after a Justice Department pr…
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is considering a currency swap with the United Arab Emirates after the UAE sought potential financial support as damage to Gulf energy infrastructure and closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted oil flows. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the U.S. was open to assistance but…
Futures tied to Canada’s principal stock index rose modestly as markets digested mixed signals over possible U.S.-Iran peace talks and prepared for a high-profile Senate confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, President Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve Chair. U.S. futures climbed, oil and gold reacted to geopolitical developments, and a slate of m…
A report from Physicians for Human Rights says cuts to U.S. funding have dismantled HIV prevention programmes in South Africa, jeopardizing the rollout of lenacapavir - a twice-yearly injectable prevention drug that arrived in the country this month. The study documents disruption to clinic and community services after Washington scaled back aid th…
D.R. Horton narrowed its 2026 consolidated revenue forecast yet kept the midpoint above analyst expectations, even as quarterly profits and revenue declined amid higher costs and subdued buyer demand. The Arlington, Texas-based builder signaled continued use of sales incentives in fiscal 2026 as interest rates, inflation and tariffs pressure margin…
The Bank for International Settlements reiterated a call for coordinated international regulation of stablecoins, arguing inconsistent frameworks risk fragmenting markets and enabling regulatory arbitrage. BIS General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos said stablecoins could undermine monetary and fiscal policy, increase financial market stress and obs…
U.S. retail sales climbed 1.7% in March, outpacing economist forecasts, driven in part by a sharp rise in gasoline receipts and a boost from tax refunds. The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said the figures, which reflect nominal sales mostly for goods and are not adjusted for inflation, benefited from higher retail gasoline prices and stronger…
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively suspended, with just three vessels recorded crossing in the last 24 hours. The limited transits follow a period of larger movements when Iran briefly opened the waterway, but renewed tensions and naval actions have left commercial passage severely constrained. The strait handles a significa…
Major oil trading firms are warning that demand destruction tied to the Iran war may deepen significantly, with losses potentially rising to about 5 million barrels per day in May. Traders say the impact, now concentrated in Asia, will spread as global prices react. Firms cautioned that prolonged disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz cou…
A recent Reuters poll of 62 economists found unanimous expectations that the Bank of England will leave Bank Rate at 3.75% on April 30, with a majority forecasting no further moves through the rest of the year. Forecasters raised their near-term inflation outlook and flagged a heightened risk of stagflation, but many still judge tighter financial c…
China's cabinet has published a policy blueprint aiming to grow the services sector to 100 trillion yuan by 2030 and to raise service quality. The plan emphasizes demand stimulation, reform, technological innovation and openness, with targeted fiscal and financial tools to support business and consumer-facing services and to remove institutional ba…
Equifax reported a notable rise in first-quarter profit driven by a rebound in U.S. mortgage-related business, while keeping its full-year revenue guidance unchanged amid macroeconomic uncertainty. Revenue grew 14% to $1.65 billion and net income attributable increased 29% to $171.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, with per-share earnings ri…
Moody's Investors Service cautions that a prolonged disruption to energy supplies could deepen India’s trade deficit and place additional stress on the country’s fiscal position. The agency flagged a sharp rise in Brent crude since late February and noted uneven corporate impacts, with state-owned oil marketers absorbing subsidy-related costs that …
J.P. Morgan scenario analysis indicates Europe could see commercial jet fuel stock cover fall below critical levels as early as June if current replacement rates for Middle East supplies hold. Structural reliance on imports, limited refinery flexibility and modest pre-conflict inventories leave the region exposed, with strategic reserves providing …
Synchrony Financial posted higher first-quarter profit as resilient consumer spending, particularly among higher-income households, supported revenue tied to co-branded credit cards and related products. Net interest income rose while provisions for credit losses declined, lifting net income for the quarter. Elevated gasoline prices in March and a …
European officials will issue guidance on airport slot management, anti-tankering, passenger compensation and public service obligations to prepare for potential jet fuel shortages tied to the Iran conflict. The Commission says there are no shortages at present but warned that a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have catastrophic eff…
European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos warned that the bank should proceed cautiously on interest-rate decisions because of the considerable uncertainty created by the war in Iran. He urged officials to assess whether recent rises in oil and gas prices are feeding through to wider inflation, and flagged three financial-stability risks…
Bank of America expects the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey to keep its effective funding rate at 40% at the April 22 meeting, but recommends raising the one-week repo rate from 37% to 40% to align policy with actual funding. The bank says such a move would simplify monetary operations, reduce sterilization burdens and preserve scope for dis…
A High Court writ released on Tuesday shows the Hong Kong government is seeking to seize more than HK$127 million in assets linked to jailed media proprietor Jimmy Lai. The filing enumerates company shareholdings, multiple small factory properties and deposits across more than 50 bank accounts, and relies on implementing rules under the national se…
Russell Hardy, CEO of Vitol, told the FT Global Commodities Summit that the U.S.-Iran conflict has already eliminated 600-700 million barrels of oil supply and that the total impact will reach at least 1 billion barrels by the time the market recovers. He quantified daily losses of 12 million barrels of hydrocarbons and 4 million barrels per day of…
Kevin Warsh has signaled support for significantly reducing the Federal Reserve's bond holdings, but he has not provided detailed proposals ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee. In the interim, academics, market analysts and some Fed officials are developing approaches that focus on lowering banks' demand for reserv…
Kevin Warsh appears before the Senate Banking Committee as his nomination to lead the Federal Reserve proceeds amid a dispute tied to a criminal probe of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh pledges monetary policy independence and a reform-oriented Fed, but the timing and outcome of votes are uncertain as lawmakers contend with legal and politic…
European Central Bank vice president Luis de Guindos urged a measured, data-driven approach to interest rate decisions as headline inflation rose to 2.6% following the US-Iran war. He flagged private credit, lofty market valuations and loose fiscal policy in some countries as financial stability risks, and reiterated the ECB's meeting-by-meeting st…
European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos warned that the bank should act cautiously on interest rates because the war in Iran has introduced significant uncertainty. He urged policymakers to focus on whether higher oil and gas costs are feeding through to other prices and highlighted three financial-stability risks in the euro area as h…
Shin Hyun Song, a veteran economist known for early warnings about the 2008 global financial crisis, began leading the Bank of Korea with an agenda to internationalise the South Korean won. His proposal includes 24-hour foreign exchange trading and an offshore won settlement system, moves designed to make the currency more usable abroad. The effort…
