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
A majority of large U.S. brokerages now anticipate the Federal Reserve's initial interest-rate reduction in June 2026, although several institutions see no cuts next year and one projects a hike in 2027. Stronger-than-expected January payrolls and a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.3% have reinforced expectations that the Fed may hold policy s…
A recent survey of bond strategists shows expectations for stable long-term U.S. Treasury yields in the near term, with a projected rise later this year driven by persistent inflation and concerns about central bank independence. Short-term yields are expected to edge lower on bets for Fed rate cuts, while a majority of respondents judge that heavy…
BCA Research classifies U.S. President Donald Trump's political capital as "moderate" following a wave of aggressive policy moves during the first year of his second term. While unified government control and a conservative-leaning Supreme Court initially amplified his capacity to act, recent political frictions, a historic government shutdown and …
Feb 12 - American Electric Power reported fourth-quarter operating earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations and said it will augment its five-year capital expenditure program beyond $72 billion to accommodate rapidly growing electricity demand driven largely by major cloud and AI-related data center customers.
Anthropic said it will contribute $20 million to Public First Action, a political organization that supports candidates favoring state-level AI regulation and opposes federal limitations on states. The move highlights growing political investment by AI companies ahead of the U.S. midterm elections and a broader contest between groups advocating for…
A February poll of economists indicates the European Central Bank will keep its deposit rate at 2.00% at least through the end of this year, extending the central bank's longest continuous period of unchanged rates since its negative-rate era. The survey, conducted Feb. 9-12, shows broad expectations for steady borrowing costs, inflation near targe…
China's commercial banks posted a non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of 1.5% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, a modest decline of 0.02 percentage points from the prior quarter, the National Financial Regulatory Administration reported. The regulator also disclosed that banks earned 2.4 trillion yuan ($348 billion) in net profit for the year, …
The dollar has declined sharply against both the euro and the yuan as officials in Europe and China publicly press for a larger international role for their currencies. Those shifts, combined with investor reassessments of dollar dominance and reports of Chinese regulators nudging domestic holders of U.S. Treasuries, are altering comparative return…
U.S. equity futures rose modestly after data showing stronger jobs growth and a lower unemployment rate eased immediate economic concerns. Traders reduced expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts, shifting odds toward policymakers holding rates steady, while focus turns to Friday's Consumer Price Index for January and a slate of corpora…
ByteDance on Thursday introduced Seedance 2.0, a multimodal AI model capable of processing text, images, audio and video together to generate high-quality cinematic footage. The system, aimed at film, e-commerce and advertising production, has gone viral on Chinese social media, elicited public praise including a comment from Elon Musk and drawing …
Official GDP figures show the UK economy finished 2025 with subdued growth, driven by weakness in construction and a drop in business investment. ING links part of the investment fall to a cyberattack on a major carmaker late in Q3, and expects the Bank of England to cut rates in March and June if labour-market and wage trends remain soft. EUR/GBP …
Russia's economy is set to slow further through the first half of the year, with an economic rebound delayed until at best late 2026 and more likely 2027, Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said. The ministry has revised its outlook from an earlier projection of recovery in the second half of 2026. Rapid growth in 2023-24 driven by heavy state war …
Singapore's government forecasts a S$8.5 billion budget surplus for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2026 - roughly 1% of GDP - down from a larger surplus expected in the current year. Officials signalled continued growth in both revenues and expenditures, a push to accelerate AI adoption across key industries, and a commitment to maintaining def…
U.S. equity futures pointed higher on Thursday as investors looked past a stronger-than-forecast January nonfarm payrolls report and turned attention to upcoming corporate results and inflation data. The jobs report, which showed a 130,000 increase in payrolls and a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.3%, pushed back market expectations for the f…
European shares rose to a fresh record high on Thursday as better-than-expected corporate updates and a major takeover in asset management supported sentiment. The STOXX 600 climbed, led by a strong performance in French stocks after Legrand and Hermès posted encouraging results, while Schroders surged following a proposed acquisition by Nuveen. In…
China's commerce ministry said it expects more Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturers to secure minimum-price arrangements with the European Union and expressed willingness to keep communications open with the bloc. The statement followed the EU's approval of an exemption for Volkswagen's Cupra Tavascan, granted in return for an agreed minimum pric…
Mizuho Financial Group's markets co-head Kenya Koshimizu said the Bank of Japan could move again on interest rates as soon as March or April and deliver up to three rate increases this year given ongoing inflation above target and yen weakness. He noted solid nominal growth and clearer fiscal policy signals as factors that will shape BOJ decisions,…
A stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs headline has encouraged investors to pare back bets on an imminent Federal Reserve rate cut, shifting attention to upcoming inflation data and a heavy slate of European earnings. Currency moves, a record European equity close, and uneven corporate earnings forecasts frame a cautious market mood ahead of key data a…
Financial markets are adjusting to a world where U.S. policy under President Donald Trump is prompting allied nations to pursue closer cooperation and independent trade and industrial strategies. Investors are responding by tilting portfolios toward non-U.S. equities, energy stocks and currencies such as the euro and Canadian dollar, while European…
Senior Chinese trade official Li Chenggang met with Mexico’s Deputy Economy Minister Vidal Llerenas in Beijing for the first in-person discussions since Mexico enacted steep tariffs on imports from China and other countries without free trade agreements. The talks covered bilateral economic and trade relations, amid Chinese warnings of potential re…
A senior Reserve Bank of Australia official said the labour market has stabilised after a slowdown and remains somewhat tight, a development that aligns with persistent inflationary pressures. The comment came as the RBA raised its cash rate to 3.85% and highlighted expectations that inflation will remain above the target band for an extended perio…
Four Democratic-led states have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the Trump administration's termination of roughly $600 million in public health grants. The complaint alleges the funding cuts are politically motivated and threaten core programs administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including HIV prevention and …
A rebound in the Japanese yen, gains in the Australian dollar and steady appreciation of the Chinese yuan put downward pressure on the U.S. dollar, pushing it toward a weekly decline as investors brace for upcoming U.S. labour and inflation releases. Market moves reflect shifting expectations about global growth and are reshaping flows into Japanes…
Japan's top currency diplomat reiterated that Tokyo has not relaxed its monitoring of foreign exchange markets after a recent yen rally. The vice finance minister for currency affairs said policy has not changed and that Japanese authorities are maintaining close communication with markets and with U.S. counterparts, even as the dollar traded aroun…
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock told a Senate committee that the RBA stands ready to raise interest rates further if inflation becomes entrenched. Speaking to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee, Bullock said it remains unclear whether additional hikes will be necessary, after the RBA raised the cash rate by 25 basis point…
