Scram News

Section

Economy

Economy

World Bank crisis funds: 27 countries line up after Iran war

World Bank crisis funds are drawing 27 countries into emergency planning after the Iran war, signalling wider sovereign liquidity strain.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Kevin Warsh sworn in as Fed chair amid Trump pressure

Kevin Warsh's Fed chair swearing-in formalises the central-bank handover as traders weigh inflation pressure and White House demands for lower rates.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Japan core inflation slows to 1.4% as BOJ hike debate returns

Japan core inflation slowed to 1.4 per cent in April, below forecasts and the weakest since March 2022, muddying the Bank of Japan's next rate move.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Why bond traders think Warsh’s Fed could hike before it cuts

Warsh Fed rate hike bets are building as swaps, 2-year yields and sticky inflation push traders to doubt any near-term move toward cuts.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Kevin Warsh takes Fed chair as inflation clouds rate cuts

Kevin Warsh took over as Federal Reserve chair on Friday as sticky inflation and higher Treasury yields kept traders skeptical of quick rate cuts.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

US consumer sentiment hits May record low on inflation fears

US consumer sentiment hit a record low in May as higher gasoline prices lifted inflation expectations and deepened worries over household finances.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

UK borrowing and retail sales tell the same energy story

UK borrowing and retail sales flashed the same April warning: £24.3bn of borrowing and a 1.3 per cent sales fall as fuel costs bit.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Trump returns from China to hotter inflation and higher yields

U.S. inflation is reasserting itself as Trump returns from Beijing, lifting Treasury yields, mortgage costs and pressure on Kevin Warsh's Fed.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Fed rate cuts 2026: Nomura sees none as inflation stays sticky

Fed rate cuts in 2026 are looking less likely after Nomura dropped its easing call, citing sticky inflation, firm jobs data and a hawkish backdrop.

By Sloane Carrington
Economy

Jamie Dimon Warns Interest Rates Could Go 'Much Higher' After Bond Selloff

Jamie Dimon warned interest rates could climb much higher from current levels, hours after FOMC minutes showed a majority of Fed officials open to further rate hikes.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Student loan caps lawsuit puts nursing pipeline at risk

Student loan caps are now at the center of a state lawsuit that says tighter borrowing rules could choke the pipeline for advanced nursing degrees.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

RBI Weighs Rate Hike as Rupee Slides Toward 97 Per Dollar

The Reserve Bank of India is weighing an emergency interest rate increase alongside currency swaps and dollar-raising measures to arrest the rupee's slide after it hit a fresh low of almost 97 per dollar this week.

By Helena Brandt
Commodities

Hormuz Blockade and El Niño Converge Into a Commodity Super-Inflation Storm, Citi Warns

Citi Research issued its most severe commodity inflation warning to date, arguing the simultaneous Hormuz blockade and emerging super El Niño could push Brent crude past $150 a barrel while squeezing global food supplies through fertilizer disruption and drought in the same growing season.

By Sloane Carrington
Economy

Average US credit card debt in 2026: a stress signal

Average US credit card debt in 2026 matters because high APRs and stubborn delinquencies show when households are leaning harder on revolving credit.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Student loan repayment 2026: how courts changed forgiveness

Student loan repayment in 2026 is shifting as SAVE ends, new rules start on July 1, and lawsuits reshape forgiveness and graduate borrowing.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Bank Indonesia rate hike in play as rupiah plumbs new lows

Bank Indonesia rate hike bets rose after the rupiah hit 17,670 per dollar, with economists split on a 25-basis-point move to 5.00 per cent.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Fed Minutes: Rate Hikes Ahead If Inflation Persists

A majority of Fed officials are open to rate hikes if inflation persists, FOMC minutes show, handing Kevin Warsh a hawkish committee days before his swearing-in.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

UK house prices stall at £268,000 as higher mortgage rates bite

UK house prices recorded their first 12-month period of zero growth in nearly two years as the average two-year fixed mortgage rate surged 0.9 percentage points to 5.73 per cent since the Iran conflict began, transmitting bond-market stress directly into household balance sheets.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

ECB June hike risk rises as Iran war lifts inflation

ECB June hike risk rose after Pierre Wunsch said an unresolved Iran war could force tighter policy as energy-led inflation rewrites the euro-area outlook.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Fed rate cuts 2026: Reuters poll points to longer hold

Fed rate cuts 2026 look less likely as a Reuters poll, firmer inflation forecasts and higher Treasury yields push markets to price a longer hold.

By Sloane Carrington
Economy

US consumers keep spending as gas and inflation bite

Higher gasoline prices and 3.8 per cent inflation are darkening consumer sentiment, but April spending data show affluent households are still keeping US growth alive.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

UK energy bills July 2026: cap seen up £209 to £1,850

UK energy bills are forecast to rise by £209 a year in July, taking the Ofgem cap to £1,850 as wholesale costs add fresh pressure to households.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Student loan interest rates 2026-27: why they are rising

Student loan interest rates for 2026-27 are rising because federal loans reset from Treasury yields, lifting costs for college borrowers and parents.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

G7 finance ministers plan for Iran war inflation shock

G7 finance ministers are weighing IMF, World Bank and sanctions options as the Iran war's oil shock raises inflation and growth risks.

By Helena Brandt
Economy

Negative real rates are back as bond markets test central banks

Negative real rates are back as inflation tops policy settings, leaving the Fed and its peers with less room to calm bond markets already pushing yields higher.

By Helena Brandt