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
Asia Stopped Debating Oil Prices. It Started Rationing Fuel.
Bangladesh stationed troops at oil depots. The Philippines cut the work week to four days. Nepal is rationing cooking gas. Three weeks in, Asia is in emergency mode.
Asia Pacific
China Set Its Lowest Growth Target Since 1991. The Number Is the Least Interesting Part.
China set its lowest GDP growth target since 1991 at the NPC on March 5. The 15th Five-Year Plan reveals more than the number. Here's what the document actually argues.
Economy
The IEA Released 400 Million Barrels. Gulf Producers Cut 6.7 Million Per Day. The Math Doesn’t Work.
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, and Kuwait have cut combined oil output by 6.7 million barrels per day as Hormuz storage fills and tankers stop moving. The IEA released 400 million barrels on Wednesday. The net position is still deeply negative.
Economy
US CPI Holds at 2.4% in February as Oil Shock Rewrites the Inflation Outlook
US CPI held at 2.4% in February 2026, in line with forecasts. But the clean data precedes an oil shock from the Iran war that analysts warn will reshape the March and April readings and the Fed's rate path.
Economy
China Just Set Its Lowest Growth Target Since 1991. The Timing Is Not a Coincidence.
China set its lowest GDP target since 1991 at 4.5-5%. Investment fell for the first time in decades. The old growth model is breaking and Beijing knows it.
Economy
The Supreme Court Gave Congress Back the Power to Tax Imports. Nobody in Washington Is Ready for What Happens Next.
Section 122 tariffs expire July 24. Congress won't extend them. Section 301 takes months. The US faces a trade policy vacuum — in the middle of a war.
Economy
Europe Cut Off Russian Gas Just in Time for the Strait of Hormuz to Close
Europe banned Russian gas weeks before Hormuz closed and Qatar halted LNG. Storage at multi-year lows, prices surging, and no fallback in sight.
Economy
UK Bills Fall £117. They’re Still 35% Above Where They Were Before the War.
Ofgem cuts UK price cap 7% to £1,641 from April — but bills remain 35% above pre-crisis levels as Europe's gas storage hits its lowest since Russia's 2022 invasion.
Americas
Trump’s Midterm Machine Builds One Economic Script While the President Writes Another
White House runs two parallel midterm campaigns as Trump's Georgia speech veers off-script, with approval at 36–37% and economy dominating voter concerns.
