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.
5,910 total articles
The European Commission has unveiled a proposed 21st package of sanctions against Russia that targets the energy sector, financial institutions, maritime operations, certain metals and alloys, cryptocurrency services, and fish imports. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the measures at a Brussels press conference, saying the packag…
A wide plurality of economists now anticipate the Federal Reserve will keep its policy rate in the current 3.50%-3.75% range for the remainder of 2026 as inflation pushed higher by war-related energy shocks shows little sign of a rapid decline. A robust May jobs report and market pricing that implies at least one hike by the end of 2026 have dimini…
Bulgaria's recently formed government has declared it will stop sending arms to Ukraine. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov framed the move as a preference for bolstering personnel and pursuing a negotiated settlement that includes both sides. The stance mirrors Prime Minister Rumen Radev's long-held opposition to resolving the conflict by force and…
Kuwait is offering crude oil cargoes to refiners in Asia for the first time since the Iran war began, with at least 4 million barrels of its main export grade being shipped on two very large crude carriers. The move signals a partial return of flows through the Strait of Hormuz amid stepped-up U.S. transit coordination and parallel sales from other…
Tata Consultancy Services intends to slow recruitment as it moves toward a workforce composition in which each human employee is matched by an AI agent, Chairman N Chandrasekaran said at the company AGM. The firm does not plan fresh staff reductions, but it has already reduced headcount through prior cuts and net attrition. Management says automati…
BASF Chief Executive Markus Kamieth said rising inflation and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran are increasing the likelihood of material shortages that could interrupt tightly scheduled automotive supply chains. Speaking to journalists in Frankfurt, he singled out inputs such as sulfur and helium and warned the risk could materialize in the second…
U.S. stock index futures moved higher on Tuesday as semiconductor shares continued to rebound and reports of reduced hostilities in the Middle East softened market jitters. Early trading saw Nasdaq futures outpace peers, with notable premarket gains for major chipmakers. Oil prices pulled back more than 2%, and several high-profile corporate and IP…
U.S. seaports processed 2,428,758 TEUs in May, an 11.5% year-over-year increase driven by a 28.1% surge in Chinese-origin imports. Retailers and manufacturers accelerated shipments ahead of proposed U.S. tariffs, while concerns tied to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran prompted precautionary inventory builds. Year-to-date volumes through May remain 1.…
SpaceX’s planned public offering, which would value the company at $1.75 trillion and carry an estimated price-to-revenue multiple of 56, presents an intuitive short candidate on valuation and governance grounds. Yet market dynamics - limited public float, significant retail and institutional interest, likely index-driven demand, and lessons from p…
Morgan Stanley has reduced its growth projection for Saudi Arabia, citing a continued contraction in real oil activity that extends into the third quarter of 2026. The bank points to diminished oil export volumes and trade disruptions as the main drags on real GDP, while noting that elevated oil prices are bolstering government revenue and spending…
U.S. equity futures pointed higher on Tuesday as investors parsed signs of de-escalation in the Iran conflict and a renewed bid for artificial intelligence-related chip stocks. President Donald Trump said the U.S. could achieve a "total victory" over Iran "over the next two weeks" while also describing a productive conversation with Israeli leaders…
Citi forecasts the Bank of Japan will raise its policy rate by 25 basis points at the upcoming meeting, pointing to renewed yen weakness and external factors that could further depress the currency. The bank expects subsequent increases at roughly six-month intervals and projects a terminal rate of 1.5% in June 2027. Citi will monitor the voting be…
Citi has raised its 2026 nominal GDP projection for South Korea to 15.3% from 10.6%, attributing the change to a much stronger-than-expected first quarter and a higher GDP deflator tied to memory chip prices. The bank kept its real GDP forecast at 3.0% while increasing its GDP deflator assumption to 11.9% from 7.4%. South Korea's central bank revis…
Bank Indonesia convened an unscheduled meeting on Tuesday, lifting its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% in an emergency move intended to steady the rupiah. The decision comes ahead of a scheduled June 17 meeting and follows a 50 basis-point increase at the May policy meeting. Officials said the step targets recent pressure on the c…
European government bond yields were largely unchanged as reports that Israel and Iran would halt military operations eased near-term concerns about oil flow disruptions. Investors are now awaiting the European Central Bank’s policy decision on Thursday, when the ECB is expected to raise its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%, with markets fo…
European equities opened marginally higher on growing investor focus on developments in the Middle East and shifts in oil prices after Iran and Israel halted strikes on each other. The STOXX 600 inched up, while commodity and monetary policy risks kept traders cautious. Sector rotation was visible, with healthcare lagging and technology, led by glo…
The Bank of Japan is considering pausing a planned reduction in its monthly government bond purchases beyond the next fiscal year, keeping the current pace of roughly 2.1 trillion yen per month. The decision is expected to be contentious among the nine board members who are split between prioritizing market stability and pursuing steady balance she…
Prime Minister Mark Carney has mounted an active campaign to broaden Canada’s trade and investment ties beyond the United States, leading multiple trade missions and signing new pacts. Yet interviews with officials and business leaders show that preferential access to the U.S. market via the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continues to be the …
Asian equities staged a broad bounce on Tuesday as investors bought into recent weakness, with relief from a temporary halt in Iran-Israel hostilities easing oil prices. South Korea's Kospi rallied sharply after Monday's selloff, Chinese export and import data beat estimates, and U.S. futures were buoyed by demand for chip stocks even as most S&P 5…
Global equities have largely recovered from the initial market shock tied to the Iran war and are trading near record levels, while sovereign bond markets have been punished by fears of persistent inflation and higher borrowing costs. Some portfolio managers now argue bonds could resume their traditional safe-haven role if inflation begins to hurt …
In a recent episode of The Big View, economist Mariana Mazzucato, author of 'The Common Good Economy', argues for expanding how the discipline defines its purpose. The episode - available on Apple, Spotify and the host's app, with a transcript - focuses on the difficulty of moving from diagnosis to actionable solutions and explores how economics co…
China's external trade performance for May showed significant strength, with both exports and imports outpacing previous monthly figures and exceeding analyst expectations. Export values rose by 19.4% compared to the previous year in U.S. dollar terms, a notable acceleration from the 14.1% expansion seen in April and higher than the 15% growth anti…
In a significant move to solidify a bilateral trade agreement, the South Korean cabinet has approved a presidential decree on Tuesday. This decree serves as a critical step in implementing a $350 billion investment plan into the United States, which was established through a trade deal reached between the two nations last year. The plan is designed…
The U.S. dollar remained positioned near a two-month peak on Tuesday as market participants navigated heightened geopolitical uncertainty and increasing expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike later this year. While a temporary halt in hostilities between Iran and Israel was facilitated by an appeal from President Donald Trump, the sta…
Asian equity markets experienced a tentative period of stabilization on Tuesday. This movement follows recent volatility and is influenced by a combination of geopolitical developments, including reports that Israel and Iran would temporarily halt mutual attacks, and investor appetite for semiconductor stocks during market dips. However, the recove…
