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
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi requested that Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa refrain from public comments on the Bank of Japan's monetary policy, arguing that decisions on specific policy tools belong to the BOJ. The appeal follows Mr. Akazawa's suggestion that an April rate hike "c…
The dollar remained largely unchanged as investors weighed the implications of a US naval blockade of Iranian vessels against ongoing, if fragile, diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran. Currency moves were modest, oil prices slipped, and expectations for a Bank of Japan rate hike this month cooled amid renewed geopolitical uncertainty…
Reserve Bank of Australia Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser cautioned that policymakers are not confident interest rates are already at the level needed to bring inflation back to the 2%-3% target band, and said the central bank must now weigh the inflationary impact of the Iran war against potential effects on domestic activity.
U.S. and Iranian officials are exploring a second round of face-to-face negotiations aimed at restarting ceasefire talks after recent meetings failed to produce an agreement. Delegations are considering holding new discussions before a two-week ceasefire announced on April 7 expires next week, with Islamabad among the possible locations. Prior week…
A Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey showed Australian consumer sentiment tumbled 12.5% to 80.1 in April, the weakest reading in more than two years. The drop reflects fears over the economic effects of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, a recent 25 basis-point rate increase and a spike in fuel prices. All survey components weakened, with assessments of …
Singapore's central bank modestly tightened its monetary stance by increasing the rate of appreciation of the S$NEER policy band while keeping its width and center unchanged. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said core inflation is expected to pick up and remain elevated over coming quarters, and that GDP growth in 2026 is likely to step down fro…
Singapore’s economy expanded 4.6% year-on-year in Q1 2026, weaker than expected and down from the previous quarter, while the Monetary Authority of Singapore tightened policy modestly by allowing greater appreciation of the Singapore dollar under its S$NEER band amid concerns over rising energy import costs tied to the war in the Middle East.
Kevin Warsh has submitted the paperwork the Senate typically requires to advance a nomination to Federal Reserve chair, potentially enabling a Banking Committee hearing as soon as next week. Important procedural steps and an ongoing Justice Department matter connected to Jerome Powell leave the timing for full-Senate confirmation uncertain.
U.S. equity benchmarks closed sharply higher Monday after investors responded to signs of progress in negotiations over the Middle East, allowing markets to look beyond the breakdown in initial U.S.-Iran talks. Financial and technology sectors outperformed, the dollar extended a multi-session decline, benchmark Treasury yields eased and oil retreat…
Anthropic is holding discussions with the Trump administration about its frontier AI model Mythos, co-founder Jack Clark said at a Washington event. The conversations follow the Pentagon's termination of business with the company after a contract dispute, and months after the agency labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk and barred its use by the Pe…
Ukraine's central bank governor warned that oil price increases tied to the war in the Middle East have already pushed up prices within Ukraine and could raise the country's inflation rate by between 1.5 and 2.8 percentage points. He reiterated the central bank's commitment to bringing inflation to 5% within three years, welcomed recent Hungarian e…
Justin Sun, a prominent investor in World Liberty Financial's WLFI token, has alleged that the firm embedded a covert mechanism in its token contracts enabling a single party to freeze or restrict token holders' assets. World Liberty has denied wrongdoing and indicated it will seek legal resolution. Independent verification of Sun's technical claim…
Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England and chair of the Financial Stability Board, told G20 finance leaders that while the global financial system has so far absorbed the shock from the Iran war thanks in part to post-2008 reforms, rising funding costs may deepen strains elsewhere. He cautioned that tighter funding could produce a 'double o…
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York disclosed that unrealized losses on the Fed's bond holdings decreased in 2025 compared with 2024, while the central bank recorded a narrower operating loss. The figures reflect accounting mark-to-market effects tied to interest-rate movements and ongoing adjustments to the Fed's large-scale portfolio of Treasuri…
Anthropic’s recently disclosed model, Claude Mythos Preview, demonstrated a capacity to autonomously find and weaponize software flaws, raising alarms across the banking sector. Security researchers say the model’s ability to scan complex, mixed-age technology stacks — where modern components sit alongside legacy systems — could accelerate discover…
BlackRock raised its rating on U.S. equities from neutral to overweight in a weekly market note, citing expectations that the Iran conflict's macro impact will be limited and that corporate profit forecasts for the U.S. and emerging markets have moved higher. The firm, which manages $14 trillion, noted two conditions that prompted the shift: eviden…
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee told Fox News that oil futures suggest the recent surge in prices tied to the Iran War will be temporary. He said that if consumers remain resilient, U.S. economic growth should hold, but persistent elevated gasoline prices would force a reassessment of consumer spending and inflation dynamics.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has signaled it can deploy emergency oil stockpiles should the war with Iran further intensify the ongoing energy shock, IEA executive director Fatih Birol said. Speaking at an Atlantic Council event, Birol described the conflict as the worst global energy disruption on record and noted that over 80 oil and gas…
A new assessment from White House economists finds the United States is short by at least 10 million single-family homes, a figure based on an analysis of how housing construction would have evolved if the single-family housing stock had continued to grow at its historical pace instead of declining after 2008. That estimate exceeds shortfalls put f…
Global finance ministers and central bankers converge in Washington for the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings as the Iran war and rising global borrowing costs, energy prices and inflation prospects increase strain on several emerging economies. Delegations and fund officials will weigh ongoing loan programmes and potential new arrangements for countr…
The war involving Iran has intensified global economic anxiety, prompting a wave of emergency measures to offset rising energy costs and prompting international financial institutions to lower growth forecasts and lift inflation expectations. The disruption to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the collapse of recent U.S.-Iran talks hav…
Summary: Barclays reduced its estimate for U.S. first-quarter GDP growth to a 2.5% annualized pace, citing weaker consumer spending and softer income trends at the start of the year. The bank also cut its Q1 personal consumption expenditure outlook and maintained an unchanged interest-rate path while flagging downside risks to activity tied to cons…
U.S. Central Command notified seafarers that a blockade covering the Gulf of Oman and parts of the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz went into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday. The notice states that any vessel entering or departing the blockaded zone without authorization may be intercepted, diverted, or captured. Neutral transit through the St…
European government bond yields rose as oil prices moved higher following unsuccessful negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the war. Traders pushed up expectations for further European Central Bank tightening, pricing in about a 70% likelihood of a third rate hike by December and lifting the implied end‑2024 deposit facility rate …
The Kremlin criticized a U.S. announcement that the U.S. military would seal access to Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the action - which would remove about two million barrels of Iranian oil per day from global markets - is likely to have a negative effect on international markets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move would …
