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.
2,042 total articles
A World Bank report covering 183 countries finds that developing economies are pursuing industrial policy more intensively than wealthy states but frequently depend on sweeping tariffs and subsidies rather than targeted measures. The bank cautions that such blunt instruments can strain public finances and underperform compared with finely tuned int…
Macquarie has pulled out of a competitive process to acquire a stake in Kuwait’s oil pipeline network, citing the Iran war and an uncertain outlook, sources said. The withdrawal underscores growing investor caution in Gulf infrastructure deals after disruptions to crude exports following Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the…
The Prudential Regulation Authority has published proposals aimed at making sure banks can quickly turn liquid holdings into cash during fast-moving stress events. The reforms prioritize the practical convertibility of assets during a run rather than simply increasing the quantity of liquid assets banks must hold, the PRA said. Sam Woods, the Bank …
Cathie Wood of ARK Investment Management says artificial intelligence is already boosting labor productivity and could accelerate gains over the next decade. She noted current non-farm productivity growth of 2.8% year-over-year and said new AI tools could lift that rate toward 6% annually. Wood highlighted rapid revenue expansion at frontier AI fir…
S&P Global Ratings warns that Gulf Cooperation Council banks could see domestic deposit withdrawals as large as $307 billion under a hypothetical stress scenario if the conflict intensifies. The agency's base case models the most intense phase of hostilities lasting two to four weeks, and it found no signs of major outflows so far. Banks currently …
Japan and the United States are poised to announce joint initiatives to develop supplies of rare earths, lithium and copper at an upcoming leaders' summit. The planned collaboration will involve Japanese companies Mitsubishi Materials and Mitsui & Co and will target projects including a rare earths refining facility in Indiana and a lithium mine in…
The German government unveiled plans to at least double national data centre capacity and increase artificial intelligence data processing capacity fourfold by 2030. Proposed steps include allocating land for development, speeding up regulatory reviews, shifting municipal business tax receipts to locations that host new facilities, and encouraging …
The International Air Transport Association's Long Term Demand Projections anticipate global air passenger demand will more than double by 2050. Under IATA's mid-range scenario, demand rises from 9 trillion revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) in 2024 to 20.8 trillion in 2050, a 3.1% compound annual growth rate. Alternative high and low scenarios sh…
A Washington federal judge will hear renewed arguments challenging President Donald Trump’s plan to transform the site of the demolished East Wing into a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks a preliminary injunction, arguing neither the president nor the National Park Service may …
Brazil’s central bank will proceed with an interest rate decision this week despite two unfilled seats on its policy committee. Tensions between the presidency and Senate leaders, together with an ongoing probe into a failed bank, have slowed confirmation hearings and could leave the committee short-handed for months, sources say.
A federal judge has temporarily reversed major components of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent changes to U.S. vaccine guidance, ruling that his reconstitution of the advisory body was unlawful. Though the injunction reinstates established, science-based procedures for recommending vaccines, public health experts and pediatric leaders…
What was labeled a temporary uptick in prices in early 2021 has matured into a prolonged inflation episode now entering its fifth year. The gap between where the Federal Reserve wants inflation to be - 2% - and where it has been running has steered an unusually aggressive monetary response, squeezed real incomes, and tightened financing costs for l…
Israeli strikes on Monday are reported to have likely killed Iran's security chief, Ali Larijani, and possibly the commander of the Basij paramilitary, according to media accounts citing unnamed sources. Tehran had not confirmed the deaths at the time of reporting. The strikes and subsequent incidents in Gulf waters have tightened energy and shippi…
U.S. stock futures opened lower as oil prices hovered near $100 a barrel amid an expanding Middle East conflict, reviving inflation worries ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting. Tech momentum from Nvidia's developer event cooled, while travel names and smaller caps showed sensitivity to geopolitical risk. Market pricing reflects a more ha…
The President of the European Commission has proposed increasing the Market Stability Reserve's remit to more actively influence near-term EU carbon prices, according to multiple reports. The move departs from prior Commission messaging that defended the existing EU Emissions Trading System framework. Market-watchers, including Goldman Sachs, say t…
Israeli forces targeted Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, in airstrikes on Monday and say they believe he was killed, while Iranian state media announced it will soon release a message from Larijani. The Israeli military also reported the killing of Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary gro…
Futures tied to major U.S. stock indices moved lower as traders weighed renewed attacks near the Strait of Hormuz and their implications for oil supplies. Crude climbed above $100 a barrel after a projectile struck a tanker close to Fujairah and concerns mounted about halted sailings and insurance for tankers. Gold ticked higher ahead of a slate of…
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its official cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1%, the second consecutive monthly rise and the highest level in ten months. Policymakers cited a material upside risk to inflation as the intensifying Middle East conflict and sustained domestic demand weighed on the outlook. The decision was narrowly approved b…
A study by the German Economic Institute (IW) concludes that, one year after approval, the country's special infrastructure fund delivered little net new investment. The IW found most of the money used in the past year was shifted from other budget lines, with planned allocations missed or delayed and some expenses reclassified as investment.
The escalation of hostilities in the Middle East has pushed energy prices sharply higher, forcing central banks to weigh short-term inflationary pressures against longer-term economic dynamics. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1% in the first major hike since the Iran conflict began, but a 5-4 vo…
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1% in a split 5-4 decision, citing persistent inflation and upside risks linked to the intensifying Middle East conflict and elevated oil prices. The move marks a second consecutive monthly rise and reverses two of last year's rate cuts as markets reassess the path for fu…
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its main cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10% at its March meeting, marking a second consecutive rise and undoing two of three cuts made last year. The decision was narrowly split, with five board members voting for the increase and four against, the tightest recorded since the bank began publishing vote tal…
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1%, pointing to a late-2025 resurgence in consumer inflation, tighter-than-expected domestic capacity and a tight labour market. Officials also flagged heightened uncertainty from the Middle East conflict and its potential to push energy prices and inflation higher.
Currency markets showed limited directional movement as traders digested developments in the Iran war and braced for a likely Reserve Bank of Australia rate increase. The euro and sterling eased modestly, the dollar index was largely unchanged, and commodity-linked currencies including the Australian and New Zealand dollars fell. The Japanese yen w…
Early Asian trading saw a modest advance as investors navigated a heavy central bank schedule and uncertainty from the U.S.-Iran war. Regional equities led gains while oil prices and safe-haven assets reacted to heightened geopolitical strain. Central banks - beginning with the Reserve Bank of Australia - are set to weigh the economic fallout from …
