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

2,047 total articles

Bowman Backs Future Rate Cuts but Voted to Pause to Wait for More Data

Bowman Backs Future Rate Cuts but Voted to Pause to Wait for More Data

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…

Trump Names Brett Matsumoto as Nominee to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

Trump Names Brett Matsumoto as Nominee to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

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…

Kevin Warsh: Who he is and what his nomination as Fed chair signals for markets

Kevin Warsh: Who he is and what his nomination as Fed chair signals for markets

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…

Statistics Canada postpones next CPI release to avoid holiday timing

Statistics Canada postpones next CPI release to avoid holiday timing

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 Fed’s Musalem Says Policy Rate Is Neutral, No Further Cuts Warranted

St. Louis Fed’s Musalem Says Policy Rate Is Neutral, No Further Cuts Warranted

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 Central Bank Delivers Surprise 100-bp Hike, Lifts Rate to 10.25%

Colombia’s Central Bank Delivers Surprise 100-bp Hike, Lifts Rate to 10.25%

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…

Republican Opposition Threatens Smooth Path for Warsh as Fed Chair Pick

Republican Opposition Threatens Smooth Path for Warsh as Fed Chair Pick

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…

Hassett Urges Quick Confirmation of Warsh, Criticizes Fed for Not Cutting Rates

Hassett Urges Quick Confirmation of Warsh, Criticizes Fed for Not Cutting Rates

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the Federal Reserve erred by not lowering interest rates this week and urged a rapid Senate confirmation of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair. Hassett acknowledged an ongoing Justice Department inquiry into Federal Reserve renovation costs could complicate the nomination process and said that issue should be …

Supreme Court Term Unpacks High-Stakes Questions on Executive Power, Civil Rights and Regulatory Authority

Supreme Court Term Unpacks High-Stakes Questions on Executive Power, Civil Rights and Regulatory Authority

The U.S. Supreme Court’s current term, which began in October and runs through the end of June, is addressing a broad roster of legal disputes with far-reaching consequences for presidential power, administrative independence, civil liberties and commercial liability. The docket includes cases that challenge a president’s ability to remove official…

Canada GDP Flat in November as Manufacturing Drop Offsets Service Sector Recovery

Canada GDP Flat in November as Manufacturing Drop Offsets Service Sector Recovery

Canada's real gross domestic product was essentially flat in November after a 0.3% decline in October, as a 1.3% fall in manufacturing and a 2.1% drop in wholesale trade offset expansions in retail sales, public sector activity and transportation. Early December data point to a 0.1% rise, but the quarter likely recorded a 0.1% contraction, leaving …

Atlanta Fed’s Bostic Advocates Patience on Rates, Flags Inflation Risks

Atlanta Fed’s Bostic Advocates Patience on Rates, Flags Inflation Risks

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic told CNBC that the Federal Reserve should adopt a patient stance on interest rates while remaining alert to inflationary pressures. He said there are "ways to go on inflation," expects tariff impacts to show up in the first half of 2026, and wants clear evidence of a return to 2% inflation before altering policy…

Precious and Industrial Metals Retreat as Profit-Taking Follows Record Highs

Precious and Industrial Metals Retreat as Profit-Taking Follows Record Highs

Gold, silver and copper reversed course on Friday as investors moved to lock in gains after a string of record highs. Market participants cited waning expectations for aggressive U.S. interest rate cuts and a firmer dollar following the announcement of Kevin Warsh as the preferred candidate to lead the U.S. Federal Reserve. Thin liquidity and specu…

Mexico's GDP Climbs in Q4 2025, Sidesteps Technical Recession

Mexico's GDP Climbs in Q4 2025, Sidesteps Technical Recession

Preliminary data from the national statistics institute show Mexico's economy grew 0.8% in the fourth quarter of 2025, outpacing consensus and reversing a contraction in Q3. On an annual basis Q4 GDP rose 1.6%, and the full-year expansion for 2025 was 0.5%, exceeding central bank and analyst forecasts. Agriculture was the strongest performing secto…

Trump taps Kevin Warsh to lead Federal Reserve as Powell prepares to step down

Trump taps Kevin Warsh to lead Federal Reserve as Powell prepares to step down

President Donald Trump announced the selection of former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell when Powell leaves the Fed in May. The nomination follows months of public vetting of several contenders. Markets showed muted volatility with the dollar giving up some gains, Treasury yields rising and U.S. stock futures pointing …

Patagonian blazes overwhelm protected forests as austerity cuts draw fire

Patagonian blazes overwhelm protected forests as austerity cuts draw fire

Widespread wildfires in Patagonia have scorched an area more than twice the size of Buenos Aires, breached the Los Alerces National Park and prompted a government emergency declaration in four southern provinces. Critics say steep budget cuts to wildfire prevention and response under President Javier Milei have weakened preparedness, while authorit…

Deutsche Bank Sees BoE Holding Rates at 3.75% as Economic Signals Clash

Deutsche Bank Sees BoE Holding Rates at 3.75% as Economic Signals Clash

Deutsche Bank expects the Bank of England to keep its Bank Rate at 3.75% at the February policy meeting, predicting a 7-2 Monetary Policy Committee split with external members Alan Taylor and Swati Dhingra dissenting in favor of a reduction. The bank highlights a resilient UK economy alongside a fragile labour market and projects inflation will rea…