Data released moments ago by the US Census Bureau showed that US retail sales rose in April to $757.1 billion, a 0.5% increase after a 1.7% rise in March, matching expectations. Sales were up 4.9% year-over-year compared to April 2025. Core sales, excluding autos, also grew by 0.7% in April, compared to 1.9% in March, matching market expectations. Sales at...
Preliminary estimates from the UK's Office for National Statistics show that the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.6% in the three months to March, following growth of 0.5% in the three months to February. On a monthly basis, it grew by 0.3% in March, after a revised 0.4% increase in February. This contrasts with expectations of a 0.1%...
Data released moments ago by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, rose by 0.6% in April, compared to 0.9% growth in March, matching market expectations. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 0.4%, compared to 0.2% (expectations were for 0.3%). Meanwhile, the annual CPI over the...
The ZEW Business Sentiment Index for Germany rose 7 points in May after two months of sharp declines, but remained in negative territory for the third consecutive month, reaching -10.2 points compared to a drop of -17.2 in April. This was slightly below expectations of a decline to -19.2. The May increase in the index came despite a slight decrease...
Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on Monday, May 11, showed that the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, rose to 1.2% year-on-year in April, up from 1.0% in March. This exceeded market expectations of 0.9% growth, as the impact of the energy sector shock stemming from the Strait of Hormuz blockade spread to...
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics report released moments ago showed that total non-farm payrolls (NFP) increased by 115,000 in April, compared to a revised March figure of 178,000 jobs (updated to 185,000). This exceeded expectations of 65,000 new jobs. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3% in April, matching expectations. The labor force participation rate declined slightly to...
The US private sector added approximately 109,000 jobs in April, according to figures released moments ago by ADP, following an increase of approximately 61,000 jobs in March. This falls short of expectations, which had anticipated an increase of 118,000 jobs. In detail, the construction sector added approximately 10,000 jobs, while the manufacturing sector added approximately 2,000. The education and healthcare...
At its meeting this morning, Tuesday, May 5, the RBA's Governing Council decided, for the third time since the beginning of the year, to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, as expected, to 4.35%. The vote was 8-1, bringing the rate to its highest level since December 2024, as inflation continues to rise due to the conflict in the...
At its meeting earlier today, Thursday, April 30, the ECB decided to maintain its three key interest rates at their current levels: the deposit rate at 2%, the main refinancing operation rate at 2.15%, and the lending facility rate at 2.40%. This marks the seventh consecutive meeting where the ECB has held its rates steady. In its policy statement, the...
The Bank of England, by a vote of 8-1, decided to maintain its monetary policy and keep interest rates unchanged at 3.75%, as expected, at its meeting earlier today, Thursday, April 30th. This marks the second consecutive meeting where the rate remains at 3.75%. One member voted for a 25 basis point increase. The Bank's interest rate report stated that...