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.
2,045 total articles
India will rebase its consumer price index to 2024 and reduce the share of food in the CPI basket to 36.75% under a revamped series. The statistics ministry said the update expands major spending groups from six to 12, introduces an overlapping year in 2025 for statistical conversion, and brings new items such as e-commerce prices into inflation tr…
Official figures show total bank lending in Brazil climbed 10.2% in 2025, surpassing the central bank's December projection. The stronger-than-expected gain was led by household credit, supported by recently announced government measures to broaden payroll-deductible loans and extend subsidized home purchase programs to middle-income families. The …
Blackstone reported fourth-quarter distributable earnings and results that exceeded analysts' forecasts, buoyed by active dealmaking, asset sales and gains in its infrastructure portfolio led by data center operator QTS. The firm raised substantial new capital and expanded its purchase commitments during the period, while its stock performance and …
Lazard reported adjusted fourth-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations, driven by growth in both its financial advisory and asset management divisions. The investment bank also appointed longtime executive Tracy Farr as chief financial officer effective Feb. 1, while reporting a rise in assets under management alongside an equity market…
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at the conclusion of its two-day meeting, prompting investors to assume the central bank’s easing cycle will be on hold through the remainder of Chair Jerome Powell’s term, which ends in May. Market participants are now relying on rate reductions expected under a successor, with futures pointing to …
Preliminary figures released Thursday show Ireland's GDP fell 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the prior quarter. The decline follows an earlier sharp rise driven by a spike in pharmaceutical exports to the United States. The Irish government continues to warn that headline GDP can be distorted by multinational corporate activity an…
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned that the likelihood of an unexpected economic disruption is unusually high, citing elevated geopolitical tensions and shifts in U.S. trade and policy direction. He said these factors make the central bank's growth and inflation projections more vulnerable, and stressed concern about threats to Federal Res…
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…
