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.
2,048 total articles
On March 12, Senate Democrats failed to secure separate funding for the Transportation Security Administration after Republicans insisted on funding the entire Department of Homeland Security. A planned procedural vote on a GOP proposal to fund all of DHS is expected to fail. TSA staffing shortfalls have already created long security lines and prom…
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said the United States wants to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement but is encountering resistance from Canada as a mandatory July 1 review approaches. Speaking in Toronto, Hoekstra said there have been no substantive talks with Canada since October and urged Canadian interests to press for lower tariff tr…
Kevin Warsh met with senators as questions persisted about whether his nomination will advance after a Republican senator vowed to block any Fed nominees while a Department of Justice criminal investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell remains open. The Banking Committee, the initial gatekeeper for Fed nominations, faces a standoff that could d…
Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced that the Senate will vote next week on the SAVE America Act, a voter identification bill supported by former President Donald Trump. The legislation would mandate proof of citizenship to register and require photo identification to cast a ballot. With Republicans holding a 53-47 advantage in the Senate bu…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet Vice Premier He Lifeng of the People’s Republic of China in Paris on Sunday and Monday. The encounter is described by the Treasury as a continuation of ongoing trade and economic discussions between the United States and China. Bessent said the talks are progressing thanks to mutual respect between Preside…
Operations at HSBC and Standard Chartered in the Gulf have been directly affected by the recent strikes on Iran, with HSBC closing branches in Qatar and Standard Chartered evacuating its Dubai office. The moves come as both banks, which have grown their footprint around trade between Asia and the Middle East, face market repricing and heightened un…
Bank of Canada policy is expected to remain unchanged at 2.25% through 2026, according to BofA Securities economist Carlos Capistran. Recent military activity in Iran and the resulting jump in oil prices have introduced upside risks for Canadian growth and inflation, complicating the central bank’s decision-making even as core inflation trends down…
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has initiated a public comment period as it prepares a regulatory proposal for events contracts and prediction markets. The notice highlights concerns about market manipulation, margin trading and whether certain types of wagers - such as those tied to terrorism or military action - should be banned in …
Singapore's ministry of trade and industry said it will engage with the Office of the United States Trade Representative to obtain further clarification on trade data and details of a Section 301 investigation. The ministry disputed USTR figures that characterized Singapore as having a $27 billion surplus with the U.S. in 2024, saying instead the c…
The administration intends to grant 30-day exemptions to the Jones Act, allowing foreign-flagged tankers to move fuel between U.S. ports. The temporary measure is aimed at bolstering East Coast supply by permitting deliveries from the Gulf Coast and other domestic locations, part of a broader set of options being reviewed to address rising oil and …
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Division of Market Oversight released an advisory aimed at operators listing event contracts in prediction markets. The guidance reiterates legal obligations for designated contract markets under the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations, highlights specific references including CEA section 5(d…
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to collect public input on potential regulatory changes for event contracts traded on prediction markets. The notice asks stakeholders to weigh in on how core statutory principles and Commission rules should apply, which types of contracts might be contrar…
Brazil's 12-month inflation rate eased to 3.81% in February, the lowest reading since April 2024, while monthly consumer prices rose 0.70%. The data arrives days before the central bank's March 17-18 policy meeting and complicates deliberations over whether to begin interest-rate cuts and whether the move should be 25 or 50 basis points amid recent…
Economists surveyed in the Reuters March 6-12 poll largely expect the Federal Reserve to begin easing policy in June, despite a sharp rise in global oil prices tied to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that has pushed short-term yields higher and shifted market expectations for the first cut. All respondents foresee the Fed holding its policy range at 3…
Goldman Sachs moved its projected first U.S. interest-rate reduction in 2026 from June to September after rising oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict stoked inflation worries. Ahead of the escalation, many brokerages were forecasting a June cut, but forecasts now range from multiple cuts beginning midyear to no cuts at all, with one firm c…
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed in his first public statement since assuming power after his father’s assassination, signaling intent to continue a blockade and intensify pressure on regional actors and U.S. bases. The comments, broadcast on state television, included calls for large d…
A poll of economists this week finds the Bank of England likely to delay a rate cut previously expected in March, instead trimming Bank Rate to 3.50% in either April or June. Surging energy costs tied to the Middle East conflict have elevated inflation risks, pushed up gilt yields and left market participants split on the timing and scale of easing…
Canada recorded a larger-than-expected merchandise trade deficit in January as exports fell more steeply than imports. A pronounced drop in motor vehicle and parts shipments, along with weaker metal and non-metallic mineral product exports, drove the fall. Higher energy exports partly mitigated the decline but were not enough to prevent the deficit…
German 10-year government bond yields climbed toward levels not seen since October 2023 as investors increased expectations for European Central Bank rate hikes. The move was driven by inflation concerns related to conflict in the Middle East and a rise in oil prices amid fears of disruptions to flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Goldman Sachs raised its U.S. inflation projections for December 2026 and cut its 2026 GDP growth forecast after revising oil-price assumptions higher amid the war with Iran. The bank now expects Brent to average $98 in March and April before easing to $71 by late 2026, and warns that sustained oil-price increases and geopolitical uncertainty could…
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey left its policy stance unchanged, relying on prior adjustments to its interest rate corridor to deliver an effective 300 basis points of monetary tightening. The bank suspended one-week repo auctions, raising the marginal funding cost for commercial lenders to the overnight lending facility at 40%, a move …
The European Commission urged the United States to regard the European Union as an ally in confronting global manufacturing overcapacity, after the U.S. administration initiated investigations into unfair trade practices involving the EU and 15 other trading partners. Brussels said it shares Washington's concerns about structural overcapacity but d…
Andrew Bailey, chair of the Financial Stability Board and governor of the Bank of England, called on governments to accelerate reforms to international and domestic payment systems. Speaking at an FSB payments summit, he cautioned that persistent frictions in cross-border payments risk fragmenting the global financial system and undermining growth …
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said military operations involving Iran are expected to take weeks rather than months and outlined a Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) swap to ease near-term market pressures. Wright described a release of 172 million barrels from the SPR in exchange for 200 million barrels to be returned within a year, and indica…
The European Commission pushed back against assertions that the bloc fuels global manufacturing overcapacity after the United States initiated probes into unfair trade practices that include the EU among 16 trading partners. A Commission spokesperson said the EU shares concerns about structural excess capacity but rejects being the source of the pr…
