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.
4,090 total articles
Speculative short positions against the Japanese yen dropped sharply in the week to May 5, according to U.S. regulatory data, after suspected currency-support operations by Japanese authorities that market participants estimate exceeded $60 billion. The CFTC report recorded a fall in net short contracts to 61,738 from 102,059 a week earlier. Trader…
The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to direct U.S. agencies to coordinate with artificial intelligence companies to bolster defenses against AI-enabled cyber attacks. According to people familiar with the matter, the draft would fold AI firms into existing cybersecurity information-sharing programs and aims to help identify and…
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said in a television interview that policymakers retain the full range of options on interest rates, including both cuts and hikes. His comments follow the Fed's decision to hold rates at its late-April meeting and reflect growing anxiety about inflation tied to an energy-price shock linked …
April's employment report showed payroll gains well above expectations and an unemployment rate that held steady, but a deeper read reveals divergent survey signals: employers report record payroll employment while households report a loss of jobs. The labor force is contracting rapidly, participation is near multi-decade lows outside the pandemic,…
A Reuters poll of 15 analysts indicates Colombia's economy likely expanded 2.2% in the first quarter, down from 2.6% a year earlier. The survey also shows downward revisions to growth expectations for 2026 and 2027, while agriculture, oil and mining output are expected to be the weakest in over a decade. Consumption and public sector employment are…
President Donald Trump announced via a Truth Social post that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a three-day ceasefire covering May 9, 10 and 11. The pause reportedly includes a halt to kinetic operations and a prison exchange of 1,000 people from each country. Trump said he requested the pause and that Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelens…
President Donald Trump announced a temporary three-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, to run from May 9 through May 11. The pause, he said, will suspend all kinetic activity and include an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. Trump posted the announcement on Truth Social and said he had requested the halt directly from both leaders, wh…
The Trump administration filed an appeal on Friday against a Court of International Trade decision that enjoined a 10% global tariff introduced in February. The court, in a 2-1 ruling, found Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act was not intended to address trade deficits and blocked the tariffs for three importers. The action comes roughly a week befor…
Cesar Giraldo, a member of Colombia's central bank board, says additional interest rate increases are not the right response to current inflationary pressures, which he attributes mainly to higher oil prices, supply chain disruptions and climate-related shocks. He has opposed recent moves that raised the policy rate to 11.25% and recommends using l…
European Central Bank officials are closely tracking inflationary pressures tied to the Iran conflict, with Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel saying policymakers stand ready to tighten policy if energy-driven price increases spread across the economy. The bank's stance ahead of June hinges on whether the inflation outlook meaningfully improves.
UK government bond yields fell on Friday after Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to remain leader of the Labour Party despite heavy losses in local elections. Ten-year gilts dropped 5 basis points to 4.90%. Across the Eurozone, German bunds were little changed while Italian and French 10-year yields moved modestly lower. Additional local election…
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said April employment figures point to a labor market that is steady though not robust, while inflation has moved in an unfavorable direction recently. He warned that price pressures are not limited to energy and that the central bank is assessing whether an energy-driven shock will persist.
Nigerian financial assets have rallied strongly across equities, government bonds and the currency after President Bola Tinubu implemented sweeping economic reforms. The stock index has surged 66% in dollar terms year-to-date and almost 200% over 12 months, while credit-rating upgrades and rising oil receipts have helped restore market confidence.
Mexico’s president denied that Mexican consulates in the United States are involved in political campaigning or advancing an anti-American agenda, calling such claims "completely false". Her remarks came after the U.S. Department of State announced a review on Thursday of more than 50 Mexican consulates operating in the United States. Sheinbaum rei…
Research group Fundecitrus said on Friday that Brazil's 2026/27 orange harvest in the key producing states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais is expected to fall 12.9% from the previous season to 255.20 million 40.8-kg boxes. The decrease is attributed to natural biennial cycles, weather conditions and the spread of greening disease, which now affects 4…
The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index slid to an all-time low of 48.2 in early May, down from a final April reading of 49.8. Higher gasoline prices are cited as a key drag on household finances. One-year inflation expectations eased to 4.5% and five-year expectations declined to 3.4%. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a smal…
U.S. Central Command disabled two unladen Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday as they attempted to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in breach of a U.S. blockade. The vessels, M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, were struck in their smokestacks by precision munitions fired from an F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from USS George H.W. Bush. The a…
Statistics Canada reported a loss of 17,700 jobs in April, lifting the unemployment rate to 6.9% as more people entered the labour market. Employment has fallen by 112,000 over the first four months of 2026, with nearly all losses in full-time work. The data disappointed expectations and was followed by modest weakness in the Canadian dollar and a …
U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 in April, outpacing forecasts, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.3%. The data supported market expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady after its recent decision to hold the policy rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range. Stocks advanced, Treasury yields declined, and the dollar weake…
U.S. interest rate futures moved to scale back the likelihood of a year-end Federal Reserve rate increase and raised the odds the central bank will hold policy steady, following April's stronger-than-expected job gains. The market now prices a much lower chance of a December hike and a higher probability of no change at that meeting, after a govern…
Global equity funds posted net inflows for a seventh consecutive week through May 6, driven by better-than-expected first-quarter corporate earnings and strength in technology stocks. While total equity fund purchases slowed to the smallest weekly addition since March 18, bond and money-market instruments saw substantial demand, and flows differed …
U.S. employment expanded by 115,000 jobs in April while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. The report, which revised March payroll gains to 185,000, highlights ongoing churn in the labor market and reinforces expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady for an extended period.
Canada’s jobless rate rose to 6.9% in April while the economy recorded a net loss of 17,700 jobs in March, driven entirely by declines in full-time work. Wage growth for permanent employees cooled to 4.8% year-over-year, participation ticked up to 65%, and job losses were concentrated in goods-producing industries even as services added positions.
The United States expects a reply from Iran on ongoing negotiations, Secretary of State said at a press briefing in Rome, adding that Operation Epic Fury has concluded after a recent engagement when US destroyers were fired upon in international waters. He warned that threats to Americans would prompt military responses, highlighted Iran's moves to…
DeepSeek is seeking up to 50 billion yuan ($7.35 billion) in its inaugural funding round, with founder Liang Wenfeng expected to supply the largest portion. The effort has prompted the AI lab to hasten steps toward revenue generation and to plan more frequent model updates, including a V4 update slated for June. If completed, the round would repres…
