US home-builder confidence falls to its lowest reading since 2012
The builder sentiment index dropped three points in October as mortgage rates pushed ordinary buyers out and cash purchases held prices up.
Economic Commentary
US wholesale inflation hits a four-year high as retail sales and jobless claims hold up
September producer prices rose at their fastest monthly pace since March 2022 while retail sales expanded and weekly jobless claims stayed near their recent lows.
The IFS says Britain’s chancellor must find 35 billion pounds to keep his spending promises
The Institute for Fiscal Studies says Healey needs a top-up of billions of pounds to meet the government’s plans, while the chancellor prepares to tell the IMF that big economies must get their borrowing under control.
Eurozone inflation hits a three-year high as energy costs surge
Consumer prices rose 3.8% in the year to September, almost double the European Central Bank’s target.
Eurozone inflation jumps to a three-year high of 3.8%
Energy and fuel costs drove a September overshoot that leaves the rate close to double the European Central Bank’s target.
Eurozone Inflation Jumps to a Three-Year High on Energy Costs
Consumer prices rose 3.8 per cent in the year to September, up from 3.2 per cent in August and above the 3.6 per cent markets had expected.
Eurozone inflation jumps faster than expected, putting another ECB hike in focus
Energy prices pushed inflation in the bloc’s largest economies to multiyear highs, and analysts now expect the euro-wide figure to overshoot too.
The average 30-year mortgage rate tops 7% for the first time since January 2025
Freddie Mac’s benchmark reached 7.03% this week, days after the Federal Reserve raised its policy rate again, and the move is already reaching buyers, sellers and builders.
OECD Lifts Global Growth Forecast but Says Inflation Will Linger
The Paris-based body raised its 2026 world growth projection while warning that a long Middle East conflict could still take a heavy toll.
IMF Tells Advanced Economies to Bring Debt Down as Borrowing Costs Climb
Kristalina Georgieva warned that repeated shocks have pushed debt levels higher just as central banks tighten, and Britain’s August borrowing figures show the squeeze arriving.
Oil slides a fourth day while diesel stays at record highs
The crude risk premium is draining as Hormuz traffic and diplomacy improve, but refined fuels are still squeezing farmers and freight.
Iran war pushes fuel prices up worldwide as US diesel hits a record
Brent is trading above one hundred dollars, diesel is at a record in the United States and the political response has started in Europe.
UK inflation rises to 3.1% on fuel as the Bank of England prepares to decide
Petrol and diesel drove British inflation to a five-month high two days before a rate decision.
A central bank triple-header lands in a single week
The Fed, the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan all decide within days, with the ECB already moved and the Swiss National Bank still at zero.
US Mortgage Rates Top 7% and Home Sales Fall to a One-Year Low
The bond sell-off has reached household budgets, and August existing-home sales dropped to their weakest level in more than a year.
ECB Raises Rates a Second Time as Energy Costs Reset Euro-Area Inflation
The European Central Bank lifted borrowing costs again on Thursday and revised both its growth and its inflation projections upward.