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.
362 total articles
A survey by the Asahi newspaper indicates Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party is poised to win far more seats than its current tally in next week’s lower house election. A decisive result would consolidate her control of the party and provide a mandate for expansionary fiscal measures, a prospect flagged as likely to i…
House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC’s Meet the Press that he believes he has enough Republican votes to end a partial federal shutdown by at least Tuesday, while acknowledging logistical hurdles arising from travel disruptions after a southeastern U.S. snowstorm. The Senate has already approved a spending measure that would fund agencies outside th…
Moody's Ratings described India's latest federal budget as tactical rather than transformative, saying planned fiscal consolidation that reduces the budget gap to 4.3% from 4.4% of GDP will not change the country's credit profile. The assessment reflects concerns that fiscal metrics have not recovered to pre-Covid levels despite a longer track reco…
The euro's rapid appreciation to $1.20 has renewed attention on the European Central Bank, but economists see limited near-term impact on inflation and little chance of immediate currency intervention. Analysis from Capital Economics suggests the move would shave a small amount off headline inflation next year; sustained, larger gains over several …
Bank of America analysts say South Korea’s semiconductor industry will be the dominant force in the country’s economic expansion in 2026, with chips projected to represent roughly 30% of total exports as a prolonged, price-driven upcycle continues. Strong DRAM price gains and outsized export growth have boosted tax revenue and supported the won, bu…
Markets in Japan are on edge amid concerns that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party may expand sales tax relief to bolster voter support ahead of a snap election, raising the risk of renewed pressure on long-dated government bonds and the yen. Former vice finance minister for international affairs Hiroshi Watanabe said the situation is fragile and …
India’s annual budget, to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is set to prioritize structural reforms aimed at bolstering private investment and shielding the economy from external shocks. At the same time, the government faces pressure to limit spending as a share of GDP following tax reductions that are forecast to lower revenue …
Japan's prime ministerial hopeful Sanae Takaichi lauded the advantages a softer yen provides to exporters in a campaign speech, then clarified she had no directional preference. Her remarks come as the finance ministry has repeatedly warned it will act to support the currency if needed, and markets watch yen weakness, rising bond yields and inflati…
Goldman Sachs projects Switzerland will experience modest economic growth in 2026, with subdued inflation and a steady policy rate. The outlook reflects last year’s trade disruptions and a November trade agreement with the United States that caps tariffs at 15%, while the Swiss National Bank is expected to maintain a 0% policy rate.
China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.3 in January from 50.1 in December, slipping below the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction and signaling cooling production. New orders and new export orders both declined, while the non-manufacturing PMI - covering services and construction - dropped to 49.4, …
SpaceX's Starlink updated its Global Privacy Policy on January 15 to permit the use of customer data for training machine learning and artificial intelligence models unless users actively opt out. The change coincides with talks to merge Starlink's parent with the AI company xAI ahead of a planned SpaceX IPO, and has drawn scrutiny from privacy adv…
President Donald Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to take over as chair from Jerome Powell. Warsh, who served on the Fed’s Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011, played a key intermediary role during the financial crisis. Markets moved quickly on the news, with equities sliding, the dollar strengthening, and sharp reve…
Kevin Warsh, President Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve chair, has earned over $1 million since 2020 serving on the board of e-commerce firm Coupang, which is at the center of a South Korean regulatory probe and wider U.S.-South Korea trade disputes. Warsh's corporate ties, including a long-standing UPS board seat, raise compliance questions und…
The U.S. Transportation Department announced plans to propose scaling back fuel economy requirements for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans that were finalized under the previous administration. Regulators argued the earlier targets were unattainable for larger vehicles and that the prior administration lacked authority to set civil penalties. The m…
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman said the Fed is pivoting attention to protecting the labor market after payroll growth slowed sharply late last year. While the central bank paused on interest rates, Bowman warned the labor market is vulnerable and outlined her Summary of Economic Projections, which includes three cuts …
U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman reiterated that she expects interest rates to be lowered this year, but she voted to hold policy steady at the Fed's most recent meeting in order to gather additional data. Bowman said she anticipates three quarter-percentage-point rate cuts this year and described the pause as a timin…
President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Matsumoto, a career economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to serve as the agency's next commissioner. The move is intended to end a vacancy that has persisted since the August dismissal of Erika McEntarfer. Matsumoto has worked at the BLS since 2015, recently completed a temporary assignment with th…
President Donald Trump has tapped former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. The choice has calmed some concerns over central bank independence while prompting market reactions across currencies, precious metals and equities. Warsh's Wall Street background, roles in crisis policy and prior Fed tenure shape ex…
Senator Lindsey Graham prevented immediate Senate action on a bipartisan stopgap funding package as he pressed to reinstate a controversial provision that would permit lawmakers and others whose phone records were seized during the January 6, 2021 investigation to sue the Justice Department for damages. The measure, originally placed in a sprawling…
Statistics Canada has moved the release date for its next consumer price index to February 17 after the originally scheduled day coincided with a statutory holiday in most provinces, when equity and bond markets would be closed. The agency said the decision followed consultation with stakeholders and was intended to ensure data are available when t…
St. Louis Federal Reserve President Alberto Musalem said the central bank does not need to lower interest rates further while the job market remains intact and inflation is above target but expected to ease. Speaking in prepared remarks for an event at the University of Arkansas, Musalem described the current 3.50%-3.75% policy range as neutral and…
Colombia's monetary authority raised its policy interest rate by 100 basis points to 10.25%—its first increase in nearly three years—citing accelerating core inflation, a marked rise in inflation expectations and growing fiscal and external vulnerabilities. The move split the seven-member board and drew public rejection from the finance minister wh…
President Donald Trump said he will nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to become Fed Chair in May. Warsh is a former youngest-ever Fed governor, a crisis-tested policymaker, and a figure with deep connections to finance and prominent family wealth. His record mixes hawkish skepticism about some Fed tools with calls for preserving …
President Donald Trump said it would be inappropriate to press his Federal Reserve nominee, Kevin Warsh, on whether he would cut interest rates, while expressing confidence that Warsh favors lowering borrowing costs. Trump played down concerns about the Senate confirmation process even as Republican Senator Thom Tillis vowed to block any Fed nomina…
President Trump's choice of Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve faces an early obstacle inside the Republican conference after Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced he will oppose any Fed confirmation if the Justice Department's criminal inquiry into Chair Jerome Powell remains open. Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, t…
