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.
7,187 total articles
The United Kingdom, France, Canada and nine other countries announced new trade restrictions targeting Israeli activity in West Bank settlements. The UK, first to act, said it would halt trade with settlements and restrict companies that serve them; Israel replied by closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem that handles Palestinian affairs a…
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told lawmakers that the notion of inevitable interest rate increases is misplaced, warning that policy adjustments will depend on unfolding economic and geopolitical developments. He argued markets have factored in more tightening than the central bank views as its most likely path, a gap he attributed in part…
Chile's consumer price index rose 0.6% in August from July, the sharpest monthly increase since April and above market forecasts. Food and non-alcoholic beverages and transport were the main sources of upward pressure, while annual inflation accelerated to 4.1%, moving outside the central bank's tolerance range.
Canadian government bond yields climbed on Tuesday as a sharp rise in oil prices heightened inflation worries. The benchmark 10-year Canada yield reached 3.806% around mid-morning ET, while Brent crude surged toward $100 a barrel after attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure. The move added pressure to global bond markets and reinforced expectations…
The New York Federal Reserve's August Survey of Consumer Expectations found little movement in inflation forecasts but a noticeable deterioration in households' views of the labor market, personal finances and credit availability. The report arrives one week ahead of the Fed's policy meeting and the August Consumer Price Index release, both seen as…
A New York Federal Reserve survey shows U.S. consumers kept one- and five-year inflation expectations unchanged in August, while three-year expectations edged down. Respondents signaled rising concern about unemployment one year ahead and reported weaker views of current and future finances and credit access. Anticipation of higher gasoline prices …
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told the Treasury Committee that the market curve for interest rate expectations contains a 'risk premium' driven by investor concerns about further increases in energy prices. He said the central bank's analysis indicates markets are pricing additional tightening beyond what would be justified solely by expec…
France is proceeding with an International Space Summit in Paris on Sept 9-10 even as several major U.S. space companies and some European leaders decline to attend. The two-day forum, billed as a gathering of decision-makers, scientists and industry from about 120 nations, is intended to advance cooperation and set broad declarations on issues suc…
UBS upgraded Lockheed Martin to Buy from Neutral and raised its 12-month price target to $674, forecasting stronger-than-expected multi-year revenue and earnings growth. The bank highlighted a rapid expansion in the Missiles and Fire Control business, growing F-35 sustainment revenues, large multiyear awards that improve production visibility, and …
A Reuters poll of 65 economists finds the Bank of England is expected to maintain Bank Rate at 3.75% for the remainder of this year and into at least mid-2027. While higher energy prices tied to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have raised upside risks, poll respondents do not see widespread evidence yet of inflationary second-round effects that would …
Iran announced plans to impose a maritime exclusion zone across the Persian Gulf in response to what it described as U.S. economic aggression, while Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and recent missile exchanges have intensified fears of disruption to regional energy flows and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has unveiled a package of tax relief and income supports costing €2.2 billion in 2027, intended to lift take-home pay for workers, pensioners and the self-employed ahead of national elections next year. The measures include pension and public sector bonuses, tax exemptions for certain low-income households a…
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has found temporary political relief after a fundraising controversy enveloped Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The episode redirected attention away from questions over how Labour will finance a slate of costly policy pledges, while investors and bond markets weigh the fiscal outlook ahead of Chancellor John Healey's firs…
Efforts by Iran to squeeze global oil markets by constricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have lost momentum as the U.S. has enabled Gulf producers to maintain substantial exports. Despite ongoing attacks and a U.S. naval blockade that began in July, large volumes of crude continue to move through Hormuz and adjacent ports, while Iran face…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack wrote on LinkedIn that recent data from her district and conversations with local manufacturers indicate monetary policy is failing to apply sufficient pressure to rein in inflation. Hammack, one of three officials who dissented from the Fed's July decision to hold rates steady, cited double-…
August nonfarm payrolls rose 162,000 versus an expected 55,000, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%. The unexpectedly strong labor print, combined with persistent inflation measures, pushed markets to price a higher probability of a Federal Reserve rate increase at its next meeting. Attention now turns to next week’s consumer and producer infl…
Rhetoric around U.S.-China competition in artificial intelligence has escalated from trade and chip disputes to public discussion of possible military action targeting AI infrastructure. A new policy paper urging contingency planning for strikes on Chinese data centers and other aggressive measures has prompted sharp reactions from Chinese commenta…
BlackRock portfolio manager Jeff Rosenberg told Bloomberg Television that a stronger-than-expected August jobs report shifts the decisive factor for Federal Reserve action to next week's consumer price index data. While wage pressures have eased as a dominant threat, rising energy costs could push headline price gains into core inflation and influe…
A surprisingly strong August employment report — with nonfarm payrolls up 162,000 and labor force participation rising to 61.6% — has pushed the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase in September back into focus. While wage growth remained moderate at 3.1%, Fed officials and market participants are awaiting consumer and producer p…
Canada shed 41,700 positions in August, driven primarily by losses in full-time work and concentrated declines across service-producing industries. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4% even as hourly wage growth slowed and the labour force contracted for the first time since February. The report arrives just before higher U.S. tariffs a…
Futures on Canada’s benchmark S&P/TSX index were subdued on Friday as investors waited for U.S. and Canadian employment reports that could influence expectations for central bank policy. Trading volumes were light, with markets parsing mixed inflation signals, divergent Fed commentary and geopolitical pressures on oil.
Global money market funds saw a surge of investor cash in the week through September 2, as military action between the U.S. and Iran and a global bond selloff prompted a defensive move into cash and short-duration instruments. Total net inflows to global money market funds reached $46.1 billion, the largest weekly increase since the week ending Aug…
A growing number of Argentine delivery riders and other gig workers are relying on high-interest fintech loans, including credit from the apps they work for, to cover sudden costs and everyday expenses. Lending from digital platforms has expanded rapidly even as arrears and bad household loans hit record levels, exposing households to sharply highe…
Detailed tax-return data reveal that Brazil's richest 0.1% captured a record 13.1% share of national income in 2024, up from 10.2% in 2020. Economists link the rise to higher returns on floating-rate government debt after the central bank raised the Selic rate sharply. While employment, wages and social programs helped lower inequality measures suc…
U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged as investors awaited the highly anticipated U.S. nonfarm payrolls report. Comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller eased some concern about an imminent rate hike, trimming the odds of a September 25-basis-point move. Corporate headlines weighed on sentiment: Lululemon sharply cut its annual…
