The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its key interest rate by a quarter-point on Thursday as risks to inflation remain tilted to the upside. The policy board, governed by Michele Bullock, decided to lift the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.35 percent. This decision followed similar quarter-point...
The services sector in Australia swung sharply into expansion territory in April, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Tuesday with a services PMI score of 50.7. That's up from 46.3 in March and it moves above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Sustained...
The Reserve Bank of Australia will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Tuesday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The RBA is widely expected to hike its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to 4.35 percent from 4.10...
The Brazilian manufacturing activity expanded at the quickest pace in over a year in April amid a rebound in international sales growth. The purchasing managers' index, or PMI, for the manufacturing sector climbed to 52.6 in April from 49.0 in March. Production volumes increased for the first time in a year and to the greatest extent since March 2025.
New orders for U.S. manufactured goods increased by much more than expected in the month of March, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Monday. The Commerce Department said factory orders jumped by 1.5 percent in March after rising by an upwardly revised 0.3 percent in February.
Portugal's industrial production expanded strongly after a renewed decline in the previous month. Industrial production advanced 3.2 percent year-on-year in March, reversing a 3.9 percent fall in February. Moreover, this was the quickest growth in seven months. Production of capital goods recovered sharply by 6.4 percent from last year
Greece's manufacturing growth moderated to a 7-month low in April amid softer expansions in output and new orders. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 52.4 in April from 54.5 in the previous month. The growth in new orders eased substantially as demand was weighed by widespread uncertainty among customers and pressure from higher costs.
Czech factory activity logged further robust expansion in April despite marked supply-chain disruption caused by the Middle East war. The purchasing managers' index, or PMI, for the manufacturing sector rose slightly to 52.9 in April from 52.8 in March. The strong growth was supported by expansions in output and new orders, as domestic and external client demand was sustained.
Eurozone investor sentiment improved unexpectedly in May, driven by investor expectations that the conflict with Iran would not escalate further, a survey conducted by the behavioral research institute Sentix showed Monday. The investor sentiment index rose to -16.4 in May from -19.2 in April. The score was forecast to fall to -20.9.
The euro area factory activity expanded at its strongest pace in nearly four years in April as manufacturers front-loaded their orders due to fears of the war-induced price increases and supply shock, final data from S&P Global showed Monday. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to a 47-month high of 52.2 in April, in line with flash estimate, from 51.6 in March.
Poland's factory downturn continued in April amid soaring inflationary pressure caused by the war in the Middle East. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index, or PMI, rose marginally to 48.8 in April from 48.7 in March. However, any PMI reading below 50 suggests contraction in the sector. Output logged a renewed fall in April as demand subdued, with a continued falling trend in new orders.
Sweden's industrial activity expanded at the quickest pace in over four years in April despite an uncertain environment. The purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector rose to 57.2 in April from 56.2 in March. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, and the latest PMI reading was the highest since spring 2022.
Russia's factory activity contracted at the fastest pace in this year so far amid weaker demand conditions. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index, or PMI, dropped to 48.1 in April from 48.3 in March. Any reading below 50 indicates contraction. The downturn was attributed to further declines in output, new orders, and employment.
Dutch manufacturing activity expanded at a faster pace as customers' front-loaded orders amid uncertainty caused by the Middle East war, survey data from S&P Global showed Monday. The Nevi manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 54.4 in April from 52.0 in March. The score hit the highest...
India's factory activity logged the second-weakest growth in four years amid soaring inflationary pressures caused by the impact of the Middle East War. The HSBC manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 54.7 in April from 53.9 in March. Demand resilience supported sales and production, but that growth was hampered by competitive conditions, the war in the Middle East, and client reluctance
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.