Energy costs drove US headline inflation to 4.2% in May—the fastest pace since April 2023—raising the stakes for the Federal Reserve’s June 17 decision on interest rates.
Category: Economy
Posted inEconomy
Five central banks in eight days as Iran-driven inflation tests policy limits
Five major central banks — ECB, Fed, BoJ, BoE, and Bank of Canada — convene in eight days this week, with the ECB’s expected hike to 2.25% leading the sequence.
Posted inEconomy
OECD cuts global growth forecast to 2.8% as Iran war energy shock deepens
The OECD’s June 2026 Economic Outlook cut its world GDP growth forecast to 2.8% and warned that a prolonged Strait of Hormuz blockage could reduce output to 2.1% while pushing global inflation above 4%.
Posted inEconomy
China’s 5% GDP growth masks a property slump and a youth jobs crisis
China’s economy expanded 5% in Q1 2026, meeting the government’s target, but record exports and the headline growth rate conceal 16.3% youth unemployment and more than 36 months of falling home prices.
Posted inEconomy
Bank of Japan set to raise rates to 1% on June 16, highest since 1995
Governor Ueda has all but confirmed a June 16 rate rise to 1.00%, citing persistent inflation and yen-driven energy shocks, as market pricing reaches 80% odds for the hike.
Posted inEconomy
US adds 172,000 jobs in May, more than doubling forecasts
The US economy added 172,000 jobs in May 2026, more than doubling economist forecasts of 85,000, while wage growth of 3.4% lagged inflation for the ninth consecutive month.
Posted inEconomy
Eurozone inflation at 3% seals the case for an ECB rate hike on June 11
Eurozone inflation reached 3% in April, sealing expectations for a 25-basis-point ECB rate increase on June 11 — the first increase since the bank’s recent cutting cycle began.
Posted inEconomy
Warsh’s first FOMC meeting, a four-year manufacturing high and Friday’s jobs report test Fed’s resolve
Kevin Warsh chairs his inaugural FOMC meeting on 16–17 June as a hot ISM manufacturing print, a bifurcated consumer and Friday’s May payrolls data land against an oil-driven inflation backdrop that has flipped rate-cut bets into hike odds.
Posted inEconomy
Bank of Japan holds at 0.75% but a three-way dissent signals the next hike is close
The Bank of Japan’s April 28 decision passed 6-3, with three board members calling for an immediate rise to 1.0% — the sharpest internal split in years, set against a slashed growth forecast and rising inflation tied to Iran war energy costs.
Posted inEconomy
Thirty-year Treasury yield hits 5.19%, a level last seen before the 2008 crisis
The 30-year Treasury yield hit 5.197% on May 19, its highest since July 2007, with Citi now flagging 5.5% as the next key level for bond investors to watch.