Markets, monetary policy, investment and the global economy.
US consumer prices rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the year, driven heavily by energy but accompanied by firmer underlying inflation. The Federal Reserve must now judge whether another rate rise would contain persistence or unnecessarily weaken a cooling labour market.
14 October 2026 · 3 min readThe IMF has intensified its call for governments to repair public finances as sovereign borrowing costs rise. The warning is not simply about debt totals: faster refinancing and cross-border spillovers make delayed adjustment increasingly expensive.
14 October 2026 · 3 min readSingapore’s central bank has left its exchange-rate settings unchanged despite a unanimous Reuters poll expecting tighter policy. The decision shows how officials are balancing firm growth and near-term imported inflation against a forecast slowdown in 2027.
14 October 2026 · 3 min readThird-quarter results from major US banks show market volatility lifting trading income while higher yields and uncertainty delay the corporate transactions needed for a broader recovery.
13 October 2026 · 3 min readMost banks withstand the IMF’s combined AI, bond and energy shock, but institutions representing 22% of global banking assets emerge with weak capital positions.
13 October 2026 · 3 min readThe global outlook has improved slightly, but the gains are concentrated in economies tied to AI investment while energy importers and heavily indebted countries lose room to absorb shocks.
13 October 2026 · 3 min readHeadline inflation has climbed to 5.54 per cent and food inflation to 7.74 per cent, exposing a widening gap between household pressure and the limited reach of monetary policy.
12 October 2026 · 3 min readTraders now see a November rate rise as highly likely, while economists expect no increase, exposing how the energy shock has widened uncertainty around UK monetary policy.
12 October 2026 · 3 min readNew reserve and derivatives restrictions aim to slow corporate demand for dollars, but they also raise the cost of managing genuine currency risk.
12 October 2026 · 3 min readMarkets are entering earnings season with technology profits expected to surge, but wider credit spreads and elevated borrowing costs are challenging the economics behind AI investment.
12 October 2026 · 3 min read