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

2,066 total articles

U.S. 30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls Below 6% for First Time Since 2022

U.S. 30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls Below 6% for First Time Since 2022

The average U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate retreated to 5.99% on Monday, the lowest level since 2022, as investors moved into bonds following a stock market sell-off. Cooling inflation, tariff uncertainty and signs of economic weakness in recent GDP data contributed to the decline in yields. Refinancing activity has risen sharply year-over-year a…

Lagarde: Europe’s AI Advantage Lies in Wide Application, Not Model Leadership

Lagarde: Europe’s AI Advantage Lies in Wide Application, Not Model Leadership

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told an audience in Washington that Europe does not need to lead in frontier AI model development to reap economic rewards. Instead, she argued the region can capture significant gains by embedding AI across manufacturing and industrial processes — areas where European firms already show relative st…

UK government says Trump’s 15% global tariff unlikely to hit most of UK-US trade

UK government says Trump’s 15% global tariff unlikely to hit most of UK-US trade

The UK government does not expect U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly announced 15% global tariff to affect the majority of trade covered by last year’s UK-U.S. economic agreement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said. British and U.S. officials are set to continue discussions this week after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down previous tari…

Fed Governor Says Strong February Jobs Could Lead to March Rate Pause

Fed Governor Says Strong February Jobs Could Lead to March Rate Pause

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would consider holding interest rates steady at the Fed's March meeting if February's employment report shows continued strength following an unexpectedly robust January jobs print. Waller emphasized that his March policy decision is contingent on the February payrolls reading and reiterated that …

BoE's Taylor Warns Services Inflation Is Not Easing Quickly Enough

BoE's Taylor Warns Services Inflation Is Not Easing Quickly Enough

Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Alan Taylor told a Deutsche Bank event that services inflation has not fallen as quickly as expected, despite a modest slowdown to 4.4% in January. He cited slower wage growth and a weakening labour market, but warned of both an undershoot risk and the danger that absent productivity gains, forecasts…

BoE Official Says U.S. Import Tariffs Will Persist, Effects to Unfold Over Years

BoE Official Says U.S. Import Tariffs Will Persist, Effects to Unfold Over Years

A Bank of England policymaker warned that higher U.S. import tariffs are likely to remain at materially elevated levels compared with two years ago, and that the full consequences of the policy shift will emerge only over an extended period. Speaking at a Deutsche Bank event, Alan Taylor called the tariffs a meaningful change and said the trade sho…

EU Pauses Ratification of U.S. Trade Pact as Tariff Plans Cloud Outlook

EU Pauses Ratification of U.S. Trade Pact as Tariff Plans Cloud Outlook

The European Union has halted work to ratify a trade agreement with the United States pending clarification of new U.S. tariff measures. EU political groups and trade officials said legislative activity will be suspended while diplomats and committee leaders convene to reassess the pact amid uncertainty over the scope and longevity of Washington's …

White House Raises Temporary Global Duty to 15% After High Court Rebuke, Leaving Legal and Market Questions Open

White House Raises Temporary Global Duty to 15% After High Court Rebuke, Leaving Legal and Market Questions Open

President Trump announced a temporary 15% global tariff under a 1974 trade statute after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency levies. The move follows initial White House messaging that said the duty would be 10%, and comes amid questions about refunds, potential congressional action, and how trading partners will respond. U.S. Customs and B…

Swiss industry group: Trump’s tariff hike fuels more chaos and chills investment

Swiss industry group: Trump’s tariff hike fuels more chaos and chills investment

Swiss industry association Swissmem said U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to raise a temporary global import tariff to 15% from 10% has worsened market disorder and is curbing investment. The move complicates talks between Bern and Washington to formalise a November agreement that cut U.S. duties on Swiss exports to 15%, and may translate int…

Hungary Rate Meeting This Week as Regional Data Flow Intensifies

Hungary Rate Meeting This Week as Regional Data Flow Intensifies

The Hungarian central bank will meet this week, with Erste flagging a possible resumption of monetary easing while maintaining a baseline view of unchanged rates in February. Regional statistics due this week include Hungary's unemployment and producer prices, Croatia's fourth-quarter 2025 GDP and detailed inflation and labor figures, and Serbia's …

Nvidia earnings and global policy shifts set to steer markets this week

Nvidia earnings and global policy shifts set to steer markets this week

Nvidia's quarterly report is the focal point for markets this week, arriving amid fresh U.S. Supreme Court tariff fallout, looming central bank succession questions in Europe and a series of inflation and political tests across major economies. Investors will be weighing AI-driven revenue expectations against broader macro and geopolitical risks th…

U.S. Customs to Halt Collection of IEEPA-Based Tariffs Starting Feb. 24

U.S. Customs to Halt Collection of IEEPA-Based Tariffs Starting Feb. 24

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it will stop collecting tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) beginning at midnight eastern time on February 24. The move follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision finding that the president exceeded authority when using the IEEPA to impose certain trade duties. Custom…