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.
4,212 total articles
European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said the euro area banking system has limited direct exposure to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran and remains well capitalised and liquid. However, he warned that interconnected vulnerabilities across markets could produce systemic stress if the conflict drives a sharp repricing of risk, particul…
European stocks retreated on March 26 as investors weighed the prospect of an ECB rate increase in April and continued uncertainty over the Middle East conflict. The STOXX 600 declined 0.6% to 583.8 by 0809 GMT, while short-term bond yields climbed and interest-rate futures priced a greater than 68% chance of a hike. Elevated crude prices and confl…
China's banking regulator has discussed relaxing long-standing limits on major shareholders in commercial banks, people with direct knowledge said, as lenders confront slowing economic activity and property-sector strain. The proposed changes would permit certain investors to increase sizeable stakes in additional banks, subject to regulator approv…
ECB policymaker Joachim Nagel said the European Central Bank could decide to raise interest rates at its April 29-30 meeting if the war in the Middle East triggers a broader inflation surge. Nagel, who leads Germany's Bundesbank, said officials will evaluate incoming data on the conflict's economic impact, energy-driven price pressures and any sign…
The Bank of Japan has launched a new consumer price gauge that removes specified institutional factors and energy-related interventions, reporting a 2.2% year-on-year rise for core CPI excluding those special factors in February. The move, disclosed alongside plans to update staff estimates of the neutral interest rate, is intended to sharpen commu…
Markets opened the day tentative after conflicting statements from Iran and the U.S. about a possible ceasefire in the Gulf. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical channel for oil and LNG, has prompted energy shortages and higher prices, pressuring equities and bonds and driving demand for the dollar as a haven.
Japan is reportedly exploring an unconventional tactic to support the yen by taking short positions in oil futures using its foreign-exchange reserves. The proposal, driven by concern that rising crude prices and the Middle East conflict are amplifying dollar demand, is under internal discussion but faces skepticism from analysts and some officials…
Trade ministers from across the globe gathered in Yaounde on March 26 for a four-day negotiation aimed at reshaping the World Trade Organization. Delegates arrive without a clear, commonly agreed roadmap and amid warnings that failure to reach concrete outcomes could fragment global trade governance. Key flashpoints include the future of the morato…
FEMA said it is restarting a grant program it had canceled last year and is now accepting applications, following court rulings that found the termination unlawful and ordered further steps to restore the program. The agency announced $1 billion in funding for states, local governments, territories and Tribal Nations to support pre-disaster mitigat…
President Donald Trump has told associates he wants to avoid a prolonged war with Iran and is pressing advisers to limit hostilities to a four-to-six week window, privately saying he believes the conflict is nearing its final phase. The White House is also coordinating a mid-May summit with China that takes this timeframe into account. Fighting bet…
Asian stock markets traded unevenly while the dollar stayed firm as investors reacted cautiously to shifting developments in the Middle East. Iran said it would consider a U.S. 15-point ceasefire proposal, a move that followed earlier dismissal by Iranian officials. The widening conflict has disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushed Bren…
A new Brookings Institution paper by Stanford economist Darrell Duffie lays out a multi-step approach the Federal Reserve could use to reduce its balance sheet. The plan focuses on lowering the financial sector's appetite for reserves through regulatory adjustments, changes to the Fed's payment system, tiered interest on reserves and more frequent …
Japan’s services producer price index advanced 2.7% in February from a year earlier, up from January’s 2.6% gain, with labour-intensive sectors such as hotels and construction showing price increases. The data supports the Bank of Japan’s emphasis on wage- and services-led inflation as the criterion for further rate hikes after the end of its prolo…
The U.S. dollar maintained strength in early Asian trade as investors looked for signs that the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran might cool. Traders also trimmed the odds of another Federal Reserve rate increase this year after a spike in energy prices prompted fresh scrutiny of inflation paths. Key currency pairs and market indicators showed limite…
A senior Reserve Bank of Australia official warned that an extended Middle East conflict would increase economic harm and that policymakers must prevent a spike in energy prices from shifting longer-term inflation expectations. The RBA has lifted rates to 4.1% amid persistent inflation and the disruption to global oil trade that pushed petrol to re…
An anti-vaccine organization tied to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed a petition asking HHS to broaden the Vaccine Injury Table from 47 entries to include over 300 injuries it says are linked to vaccines. The petition relies on government-commissioned reports that describe adverse event associations, and it includes a 60-day notice …
Global equity benchmarks rose broadly while oil prices and government bond yields eased after reports suggested movement toward a U.S.-Iran agreement. The MSCI All Country index recorded its largest gain in six weeks as investors reassessed risk and the implications for energy-driven inflation and interest-rate expectations.
The Financial Stability Oversight Council voted Wednesday to raise the bar for labeling non-bank entities such as hedge funds and investment companies as systemically important. The change scales back a Biden-era framework and aims to rely more on existing regulatory tools, a move met with criticism from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren who cite…
President Trump rebuffed a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to jointly call on Iranians to take to the streets, arguing that urging protests could expose civilians to lethal danger. The exchange, reported by Axios and based on U.S. and Israeli sources, underscores divergent U.S.-Israel views on whether promoting regime change …
The Bank of France has cut its growth forecast for 2026 and raised its inflation outlook after incorporating higher energy prices linked to the Iran war. Its updated projections include adverse and severe scenarios for the French economy, and still suggest consumer price growth will remain below 2% next year even in the most extreme case. The centr…
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters that Ukrainian military intelligence reviewed data indicating Russia continues to share intelligence with Iran. Zelenskiy said Moscow offered to stop its intelligence transfers to Tehran if the United States ceased providing intelligence to Ukraine, a move he characterized as blackmail. He also said some I…
Iran's parliament speaker said intelligence indicates that 'enemies' are planning to occupy an Iranian island with support from an unnamed regional country. He warned that Iranian forces are monitoring movements and vowed to strike that state's vital infrastructure with continuous attacks if action is taken. The statement did not name the country o…
A.P. Moller-Maersk board chair Robert Maersk Uggla told shareholders that the Gulf region faces a significant need to import food, much of it moved in refrigerated containers, and that the company is seeking alternate routes after the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid recent regional hostilities. The closure and associated attacks have brought Gulf …
The Federal Reserve reported a total comprehensive loss of $19.6 billion for 2025 in its audited financial statement, a marked improvement from the $77.5 billion loss in 2024 and the $114.6 billion loss in 2023. The central bank’s losses continue to reflect the consequences of an enlarged balance sheet built through large Treasury and mortgage bond…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the ECB stands prepared to raise interest rates should a projected increase in euro zone inflation prove larger than temporary. Speaking at a conference in Frankfurt, Lagarde flagged the risk of a communication breakdown if the bank did not respond to a clear overshoot and reiterated that a mea…
