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.
4,092 total articles
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told reporters that while artificial intelligence is fueling a surge in private-sector investment across information and communications technology, the productivity gains from that spending will take time to materialize. She spoke after the ECB kept interest rates unchanged and described investment …
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, has asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to terminate a $20 billion currency swap line provided to Argentina last year. In a letter dated Wednesday, Warren reminded Bessent that the Treasury had described the facility as for "acute, short-term and urgent" needs tied to Ar…
The European Central Bank held its key deposit rate at 2% on Thursday, signaling a probable policy pause given cooling inflation and moderate economic expansion. Recent data showing inflation at 1.7% and 2025 growth of 1.5% reduce immediate impetus for further easing or tightening, though currency appreciation and external disinflation pressures ke…
Moody's downgraded its outlook on Indonesia from stable to negative while keeping the nation's Baa2 rating, citing reduced predictability in policymaking and signs of weakening governance following market volatility tied to transparency concerns. The move comes as officials promise reforms and the government stresses economic resilience amid invest…
The International Monetary Fund projects Israel's economy will expand by 4.8% in 2026, following an estimated 2.9% growth in 2025, on the assumption that the October ceasefire in Gaza holds. The IMF highlighted that a resurgence in private consumption and a rebound in investment are driving a near-term recovery, while also flagging elevated defence…
The end of the 30% federal income tax credit for rooftop solar systems has precipitated layoffs, market exits and bankruptcies across the U.S. residential solar industry. Companies are cutting costs and pivoting toward third-party ownership models that retain access to tax incentives, even as analytics firms forecast a sharp fall in installations a…
At its first policy meeting of the year, the Bank of England left the Bank Rate unchanged at 3.75%, with the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee split five-to-four in favour of holding rates. Policymakers cited persistent inflation as the reason for a cautious stance despite evidence of weakening hiring and slowing pay growth. External forecasts …
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle told delegates at the UK Trade and Export Finance Forum that an announcement on a UK-GCC free-trade agreement is 'imminent.' Talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, began in 2022 and have experienced delays; negotiators …
The Justice Department unit charged with investigating and prosecuting potential law enforcement misconduct has experienced a dramatic reduction in staffing and a directive to limit the scope of many probes. Multiple former prosecutors say the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division has lost roughly two-thirds of its trial attorneys, supervis…
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that Ariane de Rothschild, chief executive of Geneva-based Edmond de Rothschild, corresponded repeatedly with Jeffrey Epstein and agreed to several meetings over roughly five years before his 2019 arrest. The files do not show evidence of criminal conduct by de Rothschild but raise questions…
China said it regretted the lapse of the New START treaty and urged the United States to re-engage Russia on strategic stability. Beijing reiterated its self-defence nuclear stance, no-first-use commitment, and refusal to join bilateral arms-reduction negotiations, while noting its arsenal is smaller than those of Washington and Moscow.
A surge of foreign capital into Malaysian assets reflects growing investor confidence in the country’s steady growth, policy stability and a strengthening ringgit. Foreign inflows into local-currency debt, a rising stock market, and substantial data centre investment have positioned Malaysia as an attractive middle ground for global investors seeki…
World Bank President Ajay Banga told Reuters that Pakistan must generate roughly 25 to 30 million jobs over the next decade - about 2.5 to 3 million annually - to turn its youth bulge into an economic advantage and avoid risks of instability and migration. The Country Partnership Framework commits about $4 billion a year in combined public and priv…
A steep fall in software stocks has prompted some portfolio managers to pick at beaten-down names, while others remain wary pending clearer signs of AI-driven revenue and corporate adoption. The sector's declines, driven by concerns over artificial intelligence disruption and weak earnings from major firms, have triggered technical readings that so…
Markets turned cautious after major U.S. technology firms, widely expected to report strong quarters, left some investors exposed heading into earnings season. Alphabet posted robust results after the bell but surprised analysts by announcing capital expenditure guidance of $175 billion to $185 billion for the year, well above Wall Street expectati…
Thailand's headline consumer price index declined 0.66% year-on-year in January, marking the 10th straight month of negative annual inflation. The drop outpaced a Reuters poll forecast of a 0.40% decline and remained well under the central bank's 1-3% target. Officials expect headline inflation to stay negative through early spring, while core infl…
The U.S. dollar was steady in early Asian trading as investors awaited interest rate announcements from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, both widely expected to keep policy rates unchanged. Market attention is on the ECB’s subsequent press conference for guidance on the near-term path of rates, while U.S. corporate earnings and he…
The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged and signal no imminent change to policy, reflecting stable inflation near the 2% target, growth close to potential and a neutral interest rate stance. While officials are likely to describe policy as being in a 'good place', recent currency moves, commodity price swings and geop…
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Araghchi confirmed that nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place in Muscat on Friday at around 10 a.m., with Oman facilitating arrangements. The meeting was shifted from Istanbul after Iran requested a venue change and a stricter, bilateral focus on nuclear issues. U.S. officials initially resi…
President Donald Trump told NBC News he sees "not much" doubt that the Federal Reserve will reduce benchmark U.S. interest rates. He also said his Fed nominee, Kevin Warsh, understands and aligns with his preference for monetary easing, and that support for rate cuts was a condition for the appointment.
Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott said he does not believe Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell broke the law in testimony last summer and would tell investigators so. His comments constitute the first explicit rebuttal from the committee chair to a Department of Justice inquiry that has complicated President Trump’s plan to replace Powell wi…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told House lawmakers he was wrong to tell partners in January 2024 that "tariffs are inflationary." Speaking at a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Bessent said the U.S. economy is growing and inflation is coming down, and noted recent Producer Price Index data that could signal a near-term pick-up in…
The United States is coordinating with Mexico, the European Union and Japan to pursue minimum pricing for critical minerals, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. An action plan with Mexico will be put in place over 60 days as part of a USMCA review due by July 1, while talks with the EU and Japan could produce a memorandum and a b…
Treasury Secretary Bessent told the House Financial Services Panel that Federal Reserve independence is essential to effective monetary policy, urging the central bank to stay within its core mandate. He acknowledged a loss of public trust during the inflation episode, cautioned against chasing a 'zero-risk financial system,' and signaled support f…
Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area weakened noticeably in January, with seasonally adjusted transactions down 9.9% from December to 4,795 units and the TRREB home price index sliding 1.7% month-over-month to C$941,200. The region recorded its lowest sales level since May and the price index posted its eighth consecutive monthly decline, while y…
