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
Official figures released Thursday show 957,000 young people aged 16-24 were classified as not in employment, education or training (NEET) in the final quarter of 2025, an increase from the previous quarter and close to the peak recorded a year earlier. The NEET rate rose to 12.8% while broader unemployment measures also remain elevated. Bank of En…
South Africa’s finance minister argued that meeting fiscal metrics alone will not be sufficient to attract private investment, highlighting the need for stronger economic growth. The government’s budget indicates a third straight primary surplus and a projected peak in debt this year, while improved domestic demand and robust commodity prices have …
Poland says it will remain a loyal U.S. ally while warning it will not accept being taken advantage of, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told parliament. He pressed for increased European responsibility for regional defence, highlighted the disproportionate cost of defending NATO's eastern flank, and framed the government's stance as a careful ba…
The European Central Bank disclosed it sold a portion of U.S. dollar assets in the first quarter of 2025 and reinvested all proceeds into Japanese yen, a move described as a standard rebalancing to match target allocation. The bank reported a 909 million euro gain from that transaction, reduced the share of dollars in its foreign currency assets an…
UBS projects the UK Debt Management Office will issue £271 billion of gilts in the 2026-27 fiscal year, a decline from the current year driven by lower net borrowing and fewer redemptions. The bank anticipates around £20 billion of long-dated gilts and £34 billion of index-linked bonds in the remit, notes a high level of unallocated supply, and arg…
U.S. stock futures slipped as investors digested high-profile quarterly reports from Nvidia and Salesforce. Nvidia delivered stronger-than-expected profits and a revenue outlook above forecasts, yet questions about the timing and scale of shareholder returns muted investor reaction. Salesforce shares fell after management set a fiscal 2027 revenue …
London’s benchmark edged down at Thursday’s early trade while staying close to all-time highs. Investors parsed quarterly and annual results from major listed companies including Rolls-Royce and London Stock Exchange Group, even as currency moves and overseas developments - including talks between the U.S. and Iran and continuing AI-related debate …
Man Group reported a 35% jump in assets under management to a record $227.6 billion for 2025, yet pre-tax profit declined 14% to $407 million as market volatility weighed on performance. While several systematic and multistrategy funds delivered solid gains, management fees eased and shares fell about 2.5% on the day.
Sentiment among Britain’s business and professional services firms improved dramatically in the latest CBI quarterly survey, rising to -3 from -50, the best reading since August 2024. Consumer-facing services remain firmly downbeat at -45. The mixed picture comes amid downgraded growth forecasts, high unemployment, slowing wage growth and ongoing c…
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi surprised markets by nominating two academics known for reflationary views to the Bank of Japan board, sending a clear message of opposition to higher interest rates. The appointments - Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato - alter the board’s balance and could influence the trajectory and politics of Japan’s policy normalisat…
Nvidia reported January-quarter sales that topped analyst forecasts and issued a current-quarter revenue outlook above market estimates. The beat, while solid, fell short of the outsized gains some investors expected after a long string of revenue surprises. The report eased immediate worries about the cost of AI-driven disruption, supporting gains…
Hong Kong's Court of Appeal on Feb 26 overturned a lower court judgment that had found Jimmy Lai guilty of a fraud offence and imposed a prison term, concluding the trial judge made an error. The decision comes after Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was earlier sentenced to 20 years on national security-related convictions. Lai has plea…
On Feb 26 in Hong Kong, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeals of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai and another defendant, quashing their fraud convictions and setting aside previously imposed sentences. The panel of judges granted leave to appeal, and issued a press summary outlining their decision. Lai had been sentenced in December 2022 for breachi…
The Bank of Korea left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.50% after a unanimous decision by its seven-member monetary policy board. Policymakers raised the growth forecast for 2026 to 2.0% from 1.8%, citing a chip-driven export upswing, while flagging trade uncertainty and financial-stability risks as factors that support a prolonged pause …
The U.S. dollar weakened in Asian trading as stronger-than-expected guidance from Nvidia supported risk assets and investors awaited clarity on U.S. tariffs following a Supreme Court ruling. Currency moves were influenced by signals from the Bank of Japan and mixed performance across equities, bonds and cryptocurrencies.
The Bank of Korea will broaden its forward guidance by publishing a quarterly 'dot plot' that aggregates anonymous interest-rate path projections from all seven board members for the coming six months. The move, following 18 months of pilot testing, will be rolled out at the policy meeting on Thursday and then at meetings in February, May, August a…
U.S. homebuilding and related stocks fell sharply after Lowe’s and Home Depot signaled that elevated interest rates and broader economic pressures continue to restrain housing turnover and home-sales activity. The losses extended across builders, materials suppliers and housing indexes despite a modest rise in the broader market.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda told the Yomiuri newspaper that the central bank will closely examine incoming data ahead of its March and April policy meetings to determine whether to raise interest rates. He reiterated that rate increases would continue if Japan advances toward its economic and inflation projections, and noted that stronger-tha…
NEW YORK, Feb 25 - New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in Manhattan state court against Valve, the Bellevue, Washington-based video game developer behind franchises such as Counter-Strike, Team Fortress and Dota. The complaint alleges that Valve’s use of loot boxes constitutes a game of chance and violates New York’s constitutio…
Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic, in a farewell essay issued the day before he leaves office, warned that recent legal and political disputes are undermining confidence in the Fed's independence. He argued that an independent central bank supports lower inflation, stronger economic outcomes, and greater willingness by businesses and…
The U.S. Department of Commerce will bring together American robot manufacturers on March 10 to solicit industry feedback aimed at shoring up domestic robotics production and addressing competition from China. The session will focus on identifying supply-chain bottlenecks and policy challenges affecting the deployment and manufacture of both indust…
Raphael Bostic, outgoing president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said political and legal disputes surrounding the Fed have weakened public belief in the central bank's independence. In a farewell essay published as he prepares to leave office, Bostic argued that safeguarding the Fed's autonomy is essential to maintaining low inflation, s…
On Feb 25, St. Louis Federal Reserve President Albert Musalem said the current federal funds rate appears to strike an appropriate balance between competing economic risks. He reiterated a baseline view that inflation should move back toward 2% later in the year and that the labor market will stabilize, while noting two principal risks: a potential…
Jeffrey Schmid, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, told an audience that high inflation continues to be the central bank's principal concern even as employment conditions remain favorable. He did not specify how monetary policy should adapt. Schmid also discussed internal Fed deliberations about reserve levels and said the centra…
A draft decree from Colombia's labor ministry proposes shifting 25 trillion pesos managed by private pension funds into the public administrator Colpensiones. The move would affect individual accounts of people who transferred to the public system under a 2024 reform now under constitutional court review, and follows a Finance Ministry proposal to …
