Macro, markets, ECB, trade, fiscal policy
New research highlights dramatic disparities in the cost of raising a newborn across European countries, with some parents shouldering a far heavier financial burden than others when essential baby products are measured against local wages.
The Bank of Japan has raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.25%, the highest level in over three decades, continuing its historic shift away from ultra-loose monetary policy as inflation remains a persistent concern.
The Bank of England held its key interest rate at 3.75% following a 6-3 committee vote, as inflation rose to a five-month high of 3.1%, driven partly by an energy shock linked to the conflict involving Iran.
European equities pushed higher on Thursday as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate increase in over three years, even as Wall Street closed in the red overnight.
Speculation over a potential early exit by ECB President Christine Lagarde has prompted unease among staff at the Frankfurt institution, raising questions about leadership continuity at a critical moment for eurozone monetary policy.
August retail sales data reveals the slowest growth since China’s economy reopened, exposing the widening gap between a resilient industrial sector and flagging domestic demand.
A new study estimates Europeans hold €6.3 trillion in low-yield bank deposits, losing an average of €294 per €10,000 in real purchasing power as Brussels pushes to redirect household savings into capital markets.
With the European Central Bank pressing ahead with its tightening cycle, homeowners across the eurozone’s largest economies face the prospect of higher borrowing costs as commercial banks adjust their lending terms.
Qatar’s budget deficit has more than doubled to over five billion euros in the second quarter, surpassing the country’s original full-year forecast as LNG export disruptions tied to regional conflict delay revenues and leave European gas buyers facing cancellations into November.
Italy has extended its 17.1 cent per litre diesel excise cut until 17 September in what officials indicate will be the final iteration of a blanket fuel discount programme that has cost the state approximately €2.7 billion across fifteen separate measures.