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.
2,063 total articles
Financial markets across Europe weakened after air attacks in the Middle East pushed oil and gas prices sharply higher. Analysts and traders say the move renews the risk of an energy-driven inflation shock, keeping central bank policy in focus and pressuring banks, the euro and sterling. While differences with the 2022 energy crisis limit direct pa…
Bank of England policymaker Alan Taylor said it is premature to determine how the recent escalation in the Middle East will affect Britain’s weak economy. With a surge in oil prices and renewed geopolitical risks, markets have reduced expectations for near-term BoE rate cuts while Taylor reiterated concerns about rising downside growth risks and th…
Brazil’s Treasury secretary warned that a prolonged conflict involving Iran could push oil prices higher and lead to a shorter-than-expected interest rate cutting cycle, even as he maintained that the central bank’s immediate plan for a March policy meeting remains intact. He noted fiscal benefits from higher crude through royalties and Petrobras p…
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal over whether visual art produced by an artificial intelligence system can receive federal copyright protection. The decision leaves in place prior rulings that the U.S. Copyright Office and federal courts will not register works unless they have human authorship, extending uncertainty for creators a…
Deputy Governor Sharon Kozicki said in a speech in Norway that structural changes capable of generating supply shocks - including protectionist U.S. trade measures, frictions with Canada’s neighbor and advances in artificial intelligence - can necessitate higher interest rates even when the economy is weak. She said such developments can produce a …
U.S. and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury early Saturday, a large-scale joint military campaign aimed at degrading Iran's missile, naval and nuclear-related infrastructure. Pentagon officials say the operation began on direct orders from the president, has struck more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours and has involved hundreds of …
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to set a timetable for the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, saying President Donald Trump will determine how long it continues. Hegseth described the campaign as complex, confirmed Iran has long-range strike capabilities and that Iranian weapons struck a tactical operations center ca…
Capital Economics says the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader by U.S. and Israeli air strikes has created "enormous uncertainty about Iran's political future," with consequences for the country's economic policy, regional security and global energy markets. Under the constitution, an 88-member Assembly of Experts will choose a successor while a trans…
Senior U.S. military leaders warned that operations against Iran will be protracted and could produce further American casualties. The U.S.-Israeli air campaign expanded with no clear timeline for completion, and the U.S. reported that Kuwait’s air defenses mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian attack. Officials s…
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Alan Taylor said in Oslo that weakening inflation, higher unemployment and slower wage growth mean the Bank may shortly be operating outside the usual trade-off between growth and inflation, raising the prospect of demand shortfalls. Taylor, who joined three colleagues last month in pressing for a ra…
JPMorgan has reduced its 2026 non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) growth projection for the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, citing heightened regional risks after a recent escalation in the Middle East. The bank says the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran has raised uncertainty across the region, with oil and sentiment as primary transmis…
UK stock markets fell on Monday amid a global risk-off move triggered by heightened conflict in the Middle East. Oil surged almost 8% after retaliatory Iranian attacks disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following a weekend bombing that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While energy and defence names advanced, domesticall…
The Kremlin says it is maintaining continuous communication with Iranian authorities after U.S. strikes that Moscow described as 'outright aggression.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed deep disappointment that negotiations mediated by Oman appeared to collapse into attacks, and said President Vladimir Putin plans an Iran-related internatio…
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia continues to view ongoing negotiations with Ukraine as aligned with its interests and that a political and diplomatic settlement remains Moscow's preferred means of ending the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia's openness to talks, while recent reporting has highlighted an impasse over…
Global air freight demand rose 5.6% year-on-year in January 2026, driven by international moves and notable gains on several trade corridors, according to data published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday. Capacity also expanded, though performance varied sharply by region with carriers in the Americas recording an over…
Federal Reserve officials acknowledge AI will reshape the economy but disagree on how quickly and how broadly those changes will show up in labor markets and inflation. Recent large tech layoffs and rising corporate investment underline the tensions: displaced workers could face longer job searches while gains for capital and remaining employees ma…
The U.S.-Israeli military action on Iran has interrupted commercial shipping in the Gulf, a key conduit for oil, LNG and petrochemicals bound for Europe. Immediate market reactions have lifted crude and gas prices, creating upside risks for energy inflation while imposing a modest near-term drag on growth. Central banks are watching the duration an…
Global financial markets enter the new trading week under the shadow of intensified conflict in the Middle East following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that reportedly killed several senior Iranian figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The geopolitical escalation has pushed oil and gold higher and sent U.S. future…
India's Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) central board of trustees, in consultation with the labour ministry, has recommended holding the interest rate on member balances at 8.25% for the current fiscal year 2025/26, which ends on March 31. The recommendation will take effect only after approval from the finance ministry. The labour mi…
Authorities in South Sudan report that an assault on Abiemnhom in the Ruweng Administrative Area on Sunday resulted in 122 fatalities, including 82 civilians. Local officials said attackers from Mayom County in Unity State engaged in more than three hours of fighting. The incident has intensified concerns about deepening instability as political te…
Italy's fiscal deficit for 2025 reached 3.1% of GDP, slightly improved from 3.4% in 2024 but still above the European Union's 3% threshold, according to national statistics agency ISTAT. The miss clouds hopes of an early exit from the EU's Excessive Deficit Procedure and maintains constraints on public spending as the government prepares for the 20…
Japanese government bond yields and market expectations for the Bank of Japan's next rate increase were disrupted after renewed strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliation. The two-year JGB yield dropped, signalling reduced odds of an immediate policy move, while analysts weigh competing pressures from safe-haven demand and potential imported inflat…
The HCOB Eurozone Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.8 in February from 49.5 in January, its best reading since June 2020 and the first reading above the 50 growth threshold since August. The improvement was led by a sharp uplift in new orders and a rise in factory output, with Germany returning to growth and several other economies posting expansions. H…
Global markets moved sharply lower and commodity prices jumped after coordinated U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran sparked broader regional retaliation. U.S. equity futures fell heavily, oil surged on fears for the Strait of Hormuz and gold climbed as investors sought safety. Asian equities slid amid geopolitical tensions and renewed worries abo…
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said it has raised its readiness to intervene in currency markets after the franc strengthened to its strongest level against the euro since 2015. The bank warned that a rapid, excessive appreciation of the franc threatens price stability and could push inflation into negative territory, potentially harming Swiss expor…
