Economy
India’s Central Bank Held Rates at 5.25 Percent. Then Brent Crashed 16 Percent
RBI kept repo at 5.25% on April 8. Forecasts assumed $120 oil and Hormuz disruption. Brent crashed 16% hours later. GDP cut to 6.9%, rupee at record 95.22.
Asia Pacific
The Islamabad Talks Failed. Here Is What That Actually Means for the Economy.
Islamabad talks collapsed. Trump ordered a Hormuz blockade. Here is what the breakdown means for oil prices, the Federal Reserve and Monday's bank earnings season.
Americas
US Inflation Jumped to 3.3% in March. The Fed Has Nowhere to Go.
US CPI rose to 3.3% in March 2026, the highest since April 2024. Energy prices from the Hormuz closure drove the jump. Here is what it means for the Fed.
Economy
Five EU Finance Ministers Just Revived the Windfall Tax Playbook. The Energy Industry Says It Will Not Work Twice.
Five EU finance ministers demand a windfall tax on energy firms as Brent tops $110 and eurozone inflation hits 2.5%. The ECB meets in 23 days.
Economy
Three Tankers Just Transited Hormuz on a Route Iran Does Not Control. The Blockade Has a Crack.
Three Omani tankers bypassed Iranian waters through a southern coastal route on April 2. Windward data, insurance risks, and the April 6 deadline explained.
Economy
Europe Has the Money. It Does Not Have the Confidence to Spend It.
Euro area saving rate stuck at 15% despite 8 ECB rate cuts. Survey shows half of households save from fear of taxes, half from income anxiety. The war made it worse.
Economy
Europe’s Energy Bill Just Doubled. The ECB Cannot Cut Rates Into an Oil Shock.
ECB held at 2.00% and raised 2026 inflation to 2.6%. Growth cut to 0.9%. Markets now price hikes, not cuts. Europe's energy import bill just doubled.
Americas
The Fed Cannot Cut, Cannot Hike, and Cannot Explain Why.
The US lost 92,000 jobs in February. Wages rose 3.8%. Oil is up 55% in March. The Fed is frozen. The March jobs report drops on Good Friday. Iran deadline Sunday.
Economy
Europe Was Told the Energy Crisis Would Be Targeted and Temporary. The Commission Just Blocked the Only Tool That Could Make It So.
Dombrovskis warned of a stagflationary shock that could cut EU growth by 0.6pp. Hours later the Commission blocked the fiscal escape clause. G7 meets Monday.
Americas
American Consumer Confidence Has Fallen Below the Level That Preceded Every Recession Since 1978
Michigan consumer sentiment crashed to 53.3 in March 2026, below every pre-recession level since 1978, as Iran war drives gas prices and inflation fears.
Economy
Japan Asked the IEA for More Oil. The First 400 Million Barrels Lasted Three Weeks.
Takaichi asked the IEA to prepare a second coordinated oil release. India's PMI hit a three-year low. Malaysia held two emergency meetings in two days. Asia escalated.
