Across Southeast Asia this week, Indonesia delivered one of the more encouraging economic data points of the month. Indonesia's annual inflation dropped noticeably to 2.42% in April 2026 from 3.48% in March, marking the lowest level since August 2025 and remaining comfortably within the central bank&
Spain's unemployment figures for the first quarter of 2026 delivered a jolt that came in above every analyst's expectation, yet the full story is more nuanced than the headline suggests. Spain's unemployment rate climbed to 10.83% in the first quarter of 2026, up
Germany was supposed to be in recovery mode by now. The government had earmarked enormous fiscal spending on defence and infrastructure, business sentiment was improving, and analysts were penciling in GDP growth around 1% for 2026. Then the Iran conflict sent energy prices spiking, and those plans hit a wall.
Australian households are being squeezed from multiple directions at once, and a decision on Tuesday could make it considerably worse. Markets are pricing an 86% probability that the Reserve Bank of Australia will raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% at its May 5 meeting, which
Brazil carries some of the highest real interest rates anywhere in the world right now, and that fact is quietly reshaping the country's investment map. With short-term rates pegged at 15%, the lagged effects of tight monetary policy are eroding purchasing power and restricting consumer spending. The
In a move that caught some investors off guard given the broader global uncertainty, Moody's Ratings revised China's credit outlook to stable from negative, describing it as a reflection of economic and fiscal strength that will remain resilient to ongoing domestic challenges and trade and geopolitical
Something unusual is happening in Japan's government bond market, and it matters well beyond Tokyo. The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield hit 2.496% in mid-April, the highest since 1997, with yields settling at 2.468% after the Bank of Japan's latest policy
Indian equities kicked off May on a bullish note. The BSE Sensex climbed 997 points on Monday as Maruti Suzuki reported record total sales for April, up 33.29% year-on-year, with domestic sales hitting an all-time high of 191,122 units versus 142,053 the prior year.
When the European Central Bank postponed its planned rate reductions in March and the Bank of England held rates at 3.75%, both decisions were framed as prudent caution in the face of uncertainty. That framing has not changed in the weeks since, but the underlying dilemma has sharpened considerably.
The Strait of Hormuz is roughly 33 miles wide at its narrowest point. Through that narrow passage flows roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply. Since Iran effectively closed the strait in early March 2026, that chokepoint has become the central variable in fiscal budget
The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve, a vote that was blocked for weeks by Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina until the Department of Justice dropped its criminal investigation into Jerome Powell last Friday. With that obstacle
The Federal Reserve goes into its April 28-29 FOMC meeting with interest rates sitting at 3.50% to 3.75%, exactly where they were after the March 18 decision. Markets have priced in a 100% probability of no change, according to CME FedWatch data, and Fed funds futures suggest