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
Futures tied to the main U.S. stock indexes rose more than 1% on June 15 after a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran signaled an end to a three-month conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The deal left unresolved issues such as Iran's nuclear program and the Lebanon-Israel conflict. Oil prices plunged and traders …
Global markets reacted to an interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran, with U.S. stock futures climbing, oil prices retreating amid prospects for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, and gold extending gains as the dollar weakened. The pact, to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, leaves several details unclear and arrives ahead of a ke…
This week brings a cluster of events that could move markets: Kevin Warsh chairs his inaugural Federal Reserve meeting, the Group of Seven summit in France will be dominated by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine after a tentative Iran peace framework, and several central banks - including the Bank of Japan and Indonesia’s central bank - face …
India's wholesale price index rose 9.68% year-on-year in May, driven by a large increase in fuel and power costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The jump in producer-level inflation considerably outstrips retail inflation, but economists say the spike is not expected to prompt an immediate interest rate response. New producer price indic…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said she welcomed reports of a ceasefire agreement with Iran and the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while stressing that key elements of the situation - notably questions around uranium enrichment - are not yet settled. Her remarks came in a radio interview in which she said confirmati…
European equity futures rose sharply on Monday morning after U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework for a preliminary peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end a three-month conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude fell about 4%, lifting risk appetite and pushing futures tracking the STOXX 600, Germany's DAX …
Markets rallied on Monday after news of a planned Iran-U.S. halt to hostilities, lifting stocks and bonds as inflation fears linked to the conflict eased. The yen, however, remained near the key 160 per dollar threshold that triggered large-scale government currency support last month. With the Bank of Japan poised to raise rates to 1% and Deputy G…
U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Post that he has demanded France remove its 3% digital services levy on American technology firms or face 100% tariffs on all French wines and champagnes entering the United States. The ultimatum, delivered directly to outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron, escalates a dispute that could affect wine…
Since the outbreak of the Iran war, institutional investors have increased allocations to Chinese government bonds not for higher yields but for their near-zero correlation with Western sovereign markets. While benchmark yields in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Japan rose sharply since March, yields on comparable Chinese government bonds fell, promptin…
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey on Sunday defended the central bank’s decision to reduce its holdings of British government bonds, saying the move restores capacity to act in future crises. Writing in The Times, Bailey reiterated that previous purchases of government debt through quantitative easing were crucial in supporting the economy dur…
The Bank of England is expected to hold its policy rate at 3.75% as Governor Andrew Bailey and other officials take time to judge whether higher energy prices linked to the Iran war will cause persistent inflation. Recent data show the UK economy contracted in April and official surveys point to rising longer-term inflation expectations, while part…
A combination of rising U.S. rate-hike expectations and a stronger dollar has weakened the robust advance in gold that began in 2023, pushing spot prices into vulnerable territory around $4,000 per ounce. While geopolitical tensions, fiscal deficits and central bank buying continue to underpin longer-term support for bullion, recent market moves an…
News that U.S. and Iranian officials agreed to a framework intended to end hostilities, lift the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz triggered a broad global risk-on move. While equity futures rose and oil prices fell, the accord left the future of Iran's nuclear program and the precise terms for control of the strait unresolved, …
Taiwan's central bank is widely expected to maintain its current policy interest rate during its upcoming quarterly meeting. While the nation's export-oriented, technology-heavy economy continues to expand at a rapid pace driven by artificial intelligence demand, inflation has recently breached the central bank's caution threshold. Analysts project…
Australia's central bank is widely anticipated to maintain its current cash rate at 4.35% during its June policy meeting, focusing on the cumulative effects of recent tightening measures. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) faces a complex economic landscape where inflation remains persistently above the target band, even as growth slows and househ…
A potential peace framework between the United States and Iran is not expected to disrupt the Bank of Japan's planned monetary tightening cycle, according to Seisaku Kameda, a former top economist at the central bank. Despite a recent agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has lowered oil prices, Kameda maintains that …
The Bank of Japan is widely anticipated to implement a 25 basis point increase to its benchmark interest rate during its upcoming two-day policy meeting concluding on June 16. This adjustment, which would raise the rate to 1.0%, marks the bank's fourth tightening action since it began dismantling its ultra-low rate environment in 2024. The decision…
The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division has formally approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. After an eight-month evaluation encompassing the streaming, traditional television, and film industries, federal regulators determined the transaction would not harm competition or consum…
The U.S. dollar weakened across major currency pairs on Monday, falling to a 10-day low as the U.S. and Iran agreed on a framework to end hostilities, lift the U.S. blockade on Iran, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical shift sent oil prices tumbling and fueled demand for riskier assets. However, uncertainty persists, particularly rega…
Asian equity and bond markets advanced on Monday following a diplomatic agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz and lifting U.S. restrictions on Iran. The resolution triggered a broad sell-off in the U.S. dollar, supported equity futures, and prompted a decline in crude oil prices, though marke…
The U.S. stock market has shown increasing volatility after a strong spring rally, and investors are focused on the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy meeting - the first under Chair Kevin Warsh. With major indexes retreating from recent highs, elevated volatility readings and fresh inflation and jobs data, market participants are parsing Fed commun…
British forces intercepted and boarded the oil tanker SMYRTOS after identifying it as part of the network of vessels known as Russia's shadow fleet. The vessel has been detained and is being monitored off the country's southern coast while inquiries proceed. UK officials said the operation took place within territorial waters and complied with dome…
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday to discuss the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme with Italy. The initiative aims to field a next-generation fighter by 2035, but funding from the UK remains unsettled after delays to a long-term defence investment plan and the departure of the d…
Citi warns that a brisk rise in household borrowing in South Korea is linked to strong retail investment flows into equities and a strengthening housing market. Household loans jumped by KRW9.3 trillion in May, driven largely by personal credit lines and overdrafts, while retail stock purchases and asset reallocations away from time deposits and bo…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended American actions enforcing a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz after India raised objections following strikes that killed three Indian sailors. Rubio told India’s external affairs minister that commercial vessels must follow orders from U.S. forces and that moving Iranian oil or violating the U.S.-le…
