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.
5,922 total articles
Brazil's central bank said it will not issue forward guidance on future interest-rate moves as uncertainty from the Middle East conflict continues to affect energy prices and inflation. Monetary policy director Nilton David reiterated that the bank has reduced rates twice by 25 basis points to 14.50% but will hold borrowing costs in restrictive ter…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged international partners to take stronger steps to break Iran's financing mechanisms and said the Treasury will remove obsolete sanctions designations to help banks better target sophisticated terrorist finance and sanctions evasion. The remarks came at an anti-terrorism financing conference after a G7 fina…
Microsoft says its largest data center in India is progressing toward a mid-2026 launch as the company expands infrastructure to meet strong demand for Azure cloud and its $30-per-month Copilot 365 AI assistant. The Hyderabad site will be the firm’s biggest in the country and part of a broader multi-billion dollar investment push; Microsoft is also…
Canada's consumer price index rose 2.8% year over year in April, the fastest pace since May 2024 but short of the 3.1% economists had forecast. The increase was driven largely by a surge in gasoline and other fuel costs linked to global energy market disruption and seasonal fuel blends. Strip out transportation fuel and inflation moderated, with sh…
Canada's year-over-year consumer price index rose to 2.8% in April, up from 2.4% in March, driven primarily by a sharp increase in gasoline prices after the Iran war pushed global crude oil prices higher. Monthly inflation was 0.7%. Core inflation measures moderated, while several categories including food, rents and passenger vehicles recorded ann…
Nilton David, monetary policy director at Brazil's central bank, told a Santander-hosted event that policymakers are worried inflation expectations - particularly for 2028 - are drifting away from the 3% target. He said the economy is no longer growing above potential and that the bank will keep policy in contractionary territory until it is confid…
KPMG has formed a global alliance with Anthropic to deploy the Claude AI system throughout its operations, embedding the technology into the firm's Digital Gateway platform used for tax and legal services. The move will give more than 276,000 employees across 138 countries access to Claude, extend AI capabilities into private equity portfolio work,…
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven issued a joint communiqué calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The ministers underscored heightened global economic uncertainty, pledged to monitor impacts on growth and financial markets, urged restraint on export restrictions and pushed for stronger I…
A survey of economists conducted May 14-19 shows a majority now expect the Federal Reserve to keep its policy rate unchanged through much of the year, deferring previously widely-anticipated cuts into next year. The shift follows an energy-led surge in inflation since the start of the war in Iran, which most forecasters still regard as transitory e…
Kevin Brunner, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global chair of investment banking and mergers and acquisitions, said artificial intelligence has moved beyond speculative hype into practical implementation and scaling. Speaking at the bank’s global technology, media and communications conference in Boston, Brunner described AI as a driving factor in how corp…
CMB.Tech chief executive Alexander Saverys said uncertainty persists over the impact of any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on tanker freight rates. While some expect a restocking-driven spike in demand that would lift rates, Saverys warned that a slow restart of Middle East exports combined with vessels re-entering the market could create an ove…
Standard Chartered Plc announced plans to pare more than 15% of its support workforce by 2030, citing a move toward increased use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations. The decision, unveiled at a Hong Kong briefing, will affect a portion of roughly 52,000 support-role employees recorded at the end of last year across India, China, Po…
UK equity markets rose on May 19 after official labour data signalled a cooling jobs market. The FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 advanced as investors pared back the immediacy of a Bank of England rate increase. Market participants and economists reacted to payroll declines and a modest rise in the unemployment rate, while certain sectors and individual firm…
Incoming Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh has suggested that the Fed’s independence may not fully extend to its crisis-management operations abroad, prompting concern among central banking peers that any retrenchment could unsettle global markets. Policymakers say the dollar’s dominant role and existing swap lines make the Fed a crucial ba…
A fresh AtlasIntel poll for Bloomberg News finds President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leading Senator Flavio Bolsonaro 49% to 42% in a hypothetical runoff. The survey is the first major public poll released after leaked audio messages linked Bolsonaro to Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master and a central figure in Brazil's largest banking fraud sca…
U.S. stock futures declined on Tuesday as losses in semiconductor and data storage stocks weighed on markets, while persistent inflation concerns kept investors cautious. Oil eased slightly but remained above $110 a barrel, and the 10-year Treasury yield retreated from recent highs. Market participants are watching Federal Reserve minutes due Wedne…
Italy will extend a temporary cut in fuel excise duties beyond its May 22 expiry as authorities respond to higher energy prices tied to Middle East tensions, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said. The government has earmarked roughly 1 billion euros to lower pump prices for petrol and diesel. Salvini ac…
Home Depot reported quarterly sales above analyst expectations, driven by steady spending from professional customers and homeowners taking on smaller repair jobs. Investments in in-store tools and digital capabilities have helped attract Pro customers, offsetting continued weakness in do-it-yourself remodeling, the company said.
Fed funds futures have moved to price nearly a coin-flip chance of a Federal Reserve rate increase by December amid a sharp rise in Treasury yields and headline inflation. Several economists and strategists caution the signal may be overstated given thin trading in longer-dated contracts and the Fed's recent messaging, which has not signaled immine…
The gas carrier Perle arrived at China’s Beihai LNG terminal on Tuesday, completing delivery of a cargo loaded from Russia’s Portovaya facility on December 8 after spending almost six months in transit. Typical voyages from Russia to Asia take up to around 45 days. Portovaya, which serves Novatek and handles output from the Arctic LNG 2 project, op…
Germany's chemical industry association cautioned that a recent rise in order books should not be taken as evidence of recovery. VCI managing director Wolfgang Grosse Entrup said the increase stems from precautionary buying after supply disruptions related to the Iran war, while the sector continues to grapple with high energy costs, weak demand an…
Bank of America has reduced its eurozone inflation projections after revising down its natural gas price outlook. Headline HICP inflation is now seen peaking near 3.3% in late Q3 2026 instead of 4% in Q4 2026. The bank also adjusted core inflation and growth forecasts and reiterated its call for two modest ECB rate hikes next summer, followed by cu…
Iran has presented a peace proposal to the United States that would halt fighting across all fronts of the conflict, including Lebanon, demand reparations, require U.S. forces to leave areas near Iran, and seek removal of sanctions, unfreezing of funds and an end to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Pakistan reportedly transmitted the offer to Wash…
The Russian rouble reached its strongest level against the Chinese yuan since February 2023, trading at 10.45 per yuan, and moved below the 72 mark versus the U.S. dollar for the first time since March 2023. Officials and analysts linked the appreciation to higher oil prices, a 30-day extension of a U.S. sanctions waiver for Russian oil, increased …
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 and invited partners convened in Paris to discuss economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, market volatility and efforts to diversify critical mineral supplies. France urged the IMF and World Bank to do more for countries most exposed to the crisis, while participants debated responses…
