Economy

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.

Articles

2,048 total articles

Senate Stalemate Leaves TSA and Homeland Security Funding Unresolved

Senate Stalemate Leaves TSA and Homeland Security Funding Unresolved

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.-Canada Trade Talks Stalled as Mandatory USMCA Review Nears, Ambassador Says

U.S.-Canada Trade Talks Stalled as Mandatory USMCA Review Nears, Ambassador Says

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…

Warsh Confirmation Stalls as Senate Opposition Tied to DOJ Probe of Powell

Warsh Confirmation Stalls as Senate Opposition Tied to DOJ Probe of Powell

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…

U.S. Treasury Secretary to Hold Paris Talks with Chinese Vice Premier This Weekend

U.S. Treasury Secretary to Hold Paris Talks with Chinese Vice Premier This Weekend

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…

CFTC Opens Formal Rulemaking Process for Prediction Markets

CFTC Opens Formal Rulemaking Process for Prediction Markets

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 to seek clarification from USTR over trade data and Section 301 probe

Singapore to seek clarification from USTR over trade data and Section 301 probe

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…

Administration to Temporarily Waive Jones Act to Ease East Coast Fuel Flows

Administration to Temporarily Waive Jones Act to Ease East Coast Fuel Flows

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 …

CFTC Division Issues Guidance as Prediction Market Trading Expands

CFTC Division Issues Guidance as Prediction Market Trading Expands

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…

CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Rules for Prediction-Market Event Contracts

CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Rules for Prediction-Market Event Contracts

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 Yearly Inflation Slows to 3.81% in February Ahead of Central Bank Meeting

Brazil's Yearly Inflation Slows to 3.81% in February Ahead of Central Bank Meeting

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…

Khamenei Signals Continued Closure of Strait of Hormuz

Khamenei Signals Continued Closure of Strait of Hormuz

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…

Canada’s January trade gap widens as vehicle exports plunge and imports fall

Canada’s January trade gap widens as vehicle exports plunge and imports fall

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 Bund Yields Hover Near Multi-Year Peaks as ECB Hike Odds Rise

German Bund Yields Hover Near Multi-Year Peaks as ECB Hike Odds Rise

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 Revises PCE Upward, Trims 2026 GDP Forecast as Oil Climbs on Iran Conflict

Goldman Revises PCE Upward, Trims 2026 GDP Forecast as Oil Climbs on Iran Conflict

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…

EU Calls on U.S. to Treat It as a Partner in Addressing Global Overcapacity

EU Calls on U.S. to Treat It as a Partner in Addressing Global Overcapacity

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…

FSB Chair Urges Faster Action on Payments Reform to Prevent Fragmentation

FSB Chair Urges Faster Action on Payments Reform to Prevent Fragmentation

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 …

EU Rejects Role in Global Overcapacity as U.S. Opens Trade Probes

EU Rejects Role in Global Overcapacity as U.S. Opens Trade Probes

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…