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
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that the U.S. Supreme Court is taking a deliberate approach to a legal challenge to presidential tariffs, citing the large sums already collected and describing the issue as one of "extreme national interest." Greer also suggested the plaintiffs do not have "an open and shut case," which may be pro…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that the Supreme Court is proceeding cautiously in a case testing the lawfulness of President Donald Trump’s broad tariffs. Greer cited substantial revenues collected under the tariffs, said plaintiffs do not have an "open and shut case," and described the matter as involving an "extreme national i…
Richmond Federal Reserve President Tom Barkin said the rate cuts enacted since fall 2024 have provided insurance for the labor market as the Fed works to finish the ‘last mile’ of returning inflation to its 2% goal. Barkin noted that unemployment remains low by historical measures and inflation is about one percentage point above target but is expe…
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran told Fox Business Network he expects more than a percentage point of interest rate reductions this year, arguing current policy is too restrictive even though headline inflation remains above the 2% target. Miran, whose term technically ended at the close of January but who remains in office until a successor …
Minutes from the central bank's January 28 meeting show the board left the Selic rate at 15% and said it will determine the magnitude and duration of any easing cycle based on evolving economic data. Policymakers stressed maintaining restrictive policy until disinflation is consolidated and inflation expectations align with targets, while noting th…
President Trump has nominated former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as chair, prompting analysts to assess when and whether Powell will formally resign. Barclays strategists say Powell must notify the White House if he intends to leave the Fed when his chair term ends in May, though his governor term runs until January 31, 2028. …
Bank of America has increased its projection for Mexico's 2026 GDP growth to 1.5% from 1.2%, pointing to a firmer end to 2025 and potential upside from the FIFA World Cup. The bank also forecasts U.S. growth at 2.8%, nudging its view for Mexico higher, while expecting Banxico to cut policy rates by a total of 100 basis points in 2026 to a year-end …
The pound was largely unchanged on Tuesday as traders awaited the Bank of England’s rate decision on Thursday. With a sparse UK economic calendar until mid-to-late February, recent upside surprises in GDP, retail sales and business activity have bolstered sterling this year. Markets expect the BoE to keep rates at 3.75% on Thursday before implement…
French prosecutors in Paris said they have broadened a criminal investigation into the social media service X and will question Elon Musk in April. The probe, started in January 2025 into alleged misuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction, has been extended following complaints tied to X's AI chatbot Grok. Prosecutors listed a range of pos…
A survey conducted by CBRE and released in early February found that net buying intentions for Asia Pacific real estate have climbed to a four-year high for 2026. The measure - the share of investors planning to buy more than sell - rose to 17% from 13% a year earlier, driven by a brighter rental outlook, smaller supply pipelines and gradually easi…
A quarterly Bank Lending Survey from the European Central Bank shows euro-area banks tightened credit access for businesses last quarter and expect further restriction as economic uncertainty, including trade policy concerns, erodes risk tolerance and demand. Mortgage standards were eased in some markets, notably France, while loan demand rose mode…
U.S. equity futures rose ahead of a busy week of corporate earnings as markets digested a landmark private deal combining SpaceX and xAI, better-than-expected results from Palantir and shifts in commodities. Gold recovered from steep losses while oil retreated as reports suggested a thaw in U.S.-Iran tensions. Investors are also watching tariff mov…
Australia's four largest banks raised their variable home loan interest rates by 25 basis points on Feb 3, matching the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision the same day to increase the cash rate to 3.85% in a unanimous vote. The banks announced effective dates for the changes and flagged adjustments to certain business lending rates and ongoing re…
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s campaign remarks praising the benefits of a weaker yen prompted a fresh round of market volatility and prompted government aides to rush to contain fallout ahead of a snap election she is widely expected to win this Sunday. The comments, which she later retracted in a social media post saying she had no directional p…
Trading in Asian markets settled on Tuesday with metals prices finding support and equity markets generally recovering from Monday’s sharp falls led by gold and silver. A bilateral deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social to cut tariffs on Indian goods in exchange for India halting purchases of Russian oil boosted the rupee and…
The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its forecasts for both economic growth and inflation, concluding the economy is further from balance than previously thought. In its quarterly Statement on Monetary Policy the RBA assumed 60 basis points of rate increases this year and flagged that a couple of rate rises will be required to bring aggregate d…
Asian equity markets and bullion rebounded on Tuesday after a period of sharp volatility in metals and other asset classes. The recovery followed a stronger-than-expected U.S. factory PMI print and came as traders monitored an Australian central bank meeting and a packed corporate earnings calendar in the United States. Currency moves and bond yiel…
The U.S. dollar held recent gains as stronger U.S. manufacturing data and shifting expectations about Federal Reserve leadership outweighed worries about a potential government shutdown. The Australian dollar advanced ahead of an expected Reserve Bank of Australia rate hike, while the yen remained under pressure amid comments from Japan's prime min…
Japan's finance minister defended the prime minister's remarks that highlighted potential advantages of a weaker yen, saying the premier was referring to conventional economic teachings. The defense came as the dollar regained levels above 155 yen following a weekend campaign speech in which the prime minister underscored the currency's benefits fo…
A CIBC analysis by economists Ali Jaffery and Avery Shenfeld finds that Canada’s fiscal stance will provide a measured lift to growth rather than a rapid acceleration. While federal outlays have grown materially as a share of GDP, provincial governments are exercising fiscal restraint. The report estimates a slowly building fiscal impulse that adds…
The update mechanism for the widely used code editor Notepad++ was manipulated by a threat actor identified by researchers as a Chinese-linked cyberespionage group. The intruders accessed the project's update infrastructure beginning in June 2025 and retained some hosting credentials into December 2025, enabling distribution of a bespoke backdoor a…
A Federal Reserve senior loan officer survey shows U.S. banks expect demand for business loans to strengthen in 2026 across all categories, driven largely by expectations of lower interest rates and increased spending or investment. The survey found demand from large and medium firms rose in the fourth quarter while small-firm demand was flat. Hous…
OpenAI launched a mobile application for its Codex coding system, designed to let users manage multiple AI agents over longer periods and apply code to tasks like information gathering and analysis. The release is part of OpenAI's effort to increase market share in a coding-focused AI segment where competitors, particularly Anthropic's Claude Code,…
Gold and silver plunged in the sharpest two-session sell-off in decades, erasing much of recent gains. Analysts nevertheless view the decline as a correction rather than an end to the bull market, and major banks and traders retain forecasts for new record highs for gold over the coming months. Volatility and uncertainty for silver remain elevated.
Swiss National Bank Chairman Martin Schlegel described the current mix of near-zero inflation and 0% policy rates as a difficult environment for monetary policy. He reiterated that the SNB can use interest rates and foreign-exchange interventions to steer inflation back toward the 0-2% target band, signaled readiness to consider negative rates whil…
