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.
363 total articles
MSCI, the index compiler behind the widely used Emerging Markets Index, warned clients about opaque shareholding structures and trading behaviour in Indonesia that clouded free float and investor categorisation. The announcement triggered a steep sell-off in Jakarta, with the Jakarta Composite Index tumbling as much as 16.7% over two days before re…
The Swedish central bank held its policy interest rate at 1.75% and maintained guidance that rates will remain at that level for an extended period. The decision, widely expected by markets, placed particular emphasis on rising uncertainty tied to recent geopolitical tensions and noted risks linked to US trade and foreign policy. Despite these conc…
Minutes from Taiwan's central bank December meeting indicate board members expect robust economic growth, boosted by tech exports tied to artificial intelligence demand, while some members warned of stock market overheating, growing ETF assets and potential foreign capital volatility that could weigh on the Taiwan dollar.
U.S. equity futures rose modestly as markets absorbed a Federal Reserve decision to keep rates at 3.5% to 3.75% and a wave of earnings from major technology firms that underscored continued heavy spending on artificial intelligence. Meta and Microsoft reiterated large AI commitments, Tesla signaled a deeper pivot toward AI through investment in Elo…
Japan's senior currency officials have adopted a strategy of measured communication and operational discretion, bolstered by unusually visible U.S. cooperation, to blunt the yen's recent depreciation. A restrained public stance by Atsushi Mimura and coordinated rate checks with U.S. authorities have contributed to a roughly seven-yen move lower in …
The Indian government’s annual economic survey projects real GDP growth of 6.8% to 7.2% for the fiscal year beginning in April, down from the current fiscal year’s 7.4% estimate. The report, presented in parliament, highlights a broadly stable domestic economy while flagging external risks from slower trading partners and tariff-driven trade disrup…
Global demand for gold climbed to an unprecedented 5,002 metric tons in 2025, up 1% from the prior year, the World Gold Council reported. The rise was driven by a sharp increase in investment flows - notably into exchange-traded funds and bars and coins - even as jewellery buying fell sharply amid record price levels. Central bank purchases remain …
Microsoft and Meta reported massive increases in capital expenditures tied to artificial intelligence, prompting sharply different market responses. Microsoft’s near $38 billion quarterly capex and Meta’s raised plan for 2024 drew a $240 billion hit to Microsoft’s market value and a $140 billion gain for Meta. The Federal Reserve kept policy rates …
Senior congressional leaders have moved closer to a deal that could prevent a lapse in U.S. government funding later this week by carving Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding out of a larger six-bill appropriations package. The proposed approach centers on imposing additional constraints on federal immigration agents and would require swif…
The Philippine economy expanded 3% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, underperforming a median 4% forecast and slowing from a downwardly revised 3.9% growth in the prior quarter. Full-year GDP rose 4.4%, missing the government’s 5.5% to 6.5% target. A corruption scandal that curbed public infrastructure spending last year contributed to th…
Asian stock rallies cooled as mixed technology results and anticipation of Apple earnings prompted caution. The Federal Reserve held rates steady and signaled economic improvement, while the dollar softened amid policy uncertainty. Safe-haven metals climbed to record highs and oil pushed to four-month highs on geopolitical risk concerns.
The U.S. dollar remained under pressure as market participants digested mixed signals from monetary authorities, Washington and European officials after a steep selloff earlier in the week. Investors interpreted a more sanguine Federal Reserve commentary on labor and inflation risks as suggesting interest rates may stay on hold, while supportive re…
The Monetary Authority of Singapore left its exchange rate-based monetary stance unchanged, maintaining the current rate of appreciation and the settings of the policy band. MAS warned that upside risks to growth and inflation persist, noting that sustained stronger-than-expected GDP expansion could lift wages and consumer sentiment and intensify d…
Zoopla reports that Britain’s housing market has started to pick up since the November budget lull, with early-2026 buyer demand close to early-2024 levels but about 9% lower than early 2025. Mortgage rates for a five-year fix at 75% loan-to-value are at their lowest since 2022, and house prices have risen 1.2% over the past year. Other indicators,…
Germany’s combined federal and state tax revenues reached 901.8 billion euros in 2025, a 4.7% increase from 2024, but fell short of the council of tax experts’ projection of 903.7 billion euros (a 5.0% rise). December receipts rose 2.0% year-on-year to 115.5 billion euros. The government has lowered growth forecasts for this year and next, citing h…
Brazil's central bank left the Selic rate at 15% and indicated the first reduction in borrowing costs will likely begin at its March policy meeting. Policymakers emphasized a cautious, data-dependent approach to the timing, pace and size of cuts even as inflation cools and activity moderates, with the bank maintaining its inflation projection for t…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell used a 45-minute news conference to explain the decision to keep short-term interest rates unchanged, saying upside inflation risks and downside employment risks have diminished but still exist. He described an improved growth outlook supported by consumer spending and AI-related investment, characterized the lab…
Spot gold climbed above $5,400 an ounce, extending a record-setting rally as investors sought refuge from intensifying geopolitical strains and shifting expectations on U.S. monetary policy. Metals across the board posted gains or held near highs, while traders adjusted bets on the timing of Federal Reserve rate cuts following a decision to keep ra…
The Federal Reserve left its policy rate unchanged on Wednesday, a move widely anticipated by markets. Chair Jerome Powell indicated the central bank is prepared to maintain a hold on policy following 75 basis points of cuts at the end of last year. Powell declined to comment on a White House inquiry into a Fed office renovation, referring reporter…
The S&P 500 rose above 7,000 for the first time even as the Federal Reserve held rates steady and cautioned that inflation risks remain elevated. A stronger dollar, volatile FX swings, mixed tech results in after-hours trade and rising Treasury yields all contributed to a jittery trading session. Market participants continue to weigh the odds of fu…
A bipartisan group of New York and New Jersey Democrats told President Donald Trump that failure to reinstate federal support for a $16 billion tunnel project linking New Jersey and Manhattan risks severe disruption to regional transit, large job losses and broader economic harm. The U.S. Transportation Department has withheld funds while alleging …
Norway’s $2.2 trillion sovereign wealth fund increased its holdings of U.S. Treasuries in the second half of 2025, raising the value to $199 billion, or 9.4% of total assets, as of Dec. 31. The fund’s overall allocation to U.S. assets climbed to 52.9% at year-end, even as some large Northern European investors have signaled wariness about U.S. asse…
A proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to cap credit-card interest rates at 10% for one year, if put into effect, could substantially reduce profits for banks and in turn diminish the value and cash generation of airline loyalty programmes, advisers and industry officials said at an aviation finance conference in Dublin. The idea's implementatio…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday cautioned that while the present level of U.S. federal debt can be sustained, the ongoing trajectory of debt growth is unsustainable and requires timely policy attention. He emphasized concerns about large deficits occurring amid near-full employment and discussed how longer-term interest rates are i…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell declined on Wednesday to answer questions about whether he will continue as Fed chair after his term ends in May and refused to provide information about Department of Justice subpoenas tied to renovation work at the central bank. Powell also would not expand on a January 11 statement and reiterated the Fed's lon…
