INDEX

1459 ENTRIES · UPDATED 2026.09.26

157 Empire State Manufacturing SurveyBusiness activity grew strongly in New York State in August, according to firms responding to the Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index rose five points to 20.6, its highest reading in more than four years. New orders and shipments post 2026.08.17 158 China’s growth imbalance worsened with domestic activity slowing in JulyFixed asset investment (FAI) dropped to -6.7% year-on-year, year-to-date over the first seven months of the year, down from -5.7% YoY in the first half of 2026. The reading once again undershot market expectations (market: -6.2%, ING: -6.3%) and marked the lowest level since Apri 2026.08.17 159 US: Affordability Pressures Keep Builder Confidence LowBuilder sentiment remains muted from economic and geopolitical uncertainty, elevated mortgage rates and rising construction costs. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched up one point to 35 in August, according to the National Association of Ho 2026.08.17 160 Japan is trying to inflate away its debtIt is time again to look east to Nihon the land of the rising sun as several of our main economic themes are in play there this morning. Of course with a Japanese twist. We can start with the latest economic growth figures. Japan’s economic growth in the April-June quarter fell s 2026.08.17 161 Canadian CPI (July) — Is Core Still a Bore?Canadian inflation came in as expected in July, although a bit warmer on the core metrics. Headline inflation rose to 3.0% y/y from 2.8% y/y in the prior month, not surprising given the rebound in gas prices in the month as U.S.-Iran tension flared up again. That should prove sho 2026.08.17 162 CFI hires ATFX exec Francois du Plessis, replacing Zihaad Israfil as South Africa CEOFNG has learned that leading Dubai based online brokerage firm CFI Financial Group has hired Francois du Plessis as CEO of CFI South Africa. CFI received a South Africa FSCA license in mid 2024, and launched operations in the country later that year. Francois du Plessis replaces 2026.08.17 163 Gold – Happy 55th anniversaryAugust 15th 1971, was the day that Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard and initiated the start of irresponsible government spending! I’m not a gold bug, but I wear lots of gold jewelry. That’s not speculative, but it’s nice to have the utility and the long-term appreciation 2026.08.17 164 The Credit Market Lens: What BDC Markets Are Signaling About Private Credit ValuationsThe performance across the capital structure of BDCs – funds that invest in small and midsize private U.S. businesses – continues to diverge, with their bonds outperforming and equities lagging (see Figure 1). What explains this gap? The simplest answer is an asset valuation stor 2026.08.17 165 Gold shows early signs of reclaiming safe-haven appeal after Iran war selloffGold's 9% rebound in August to around $4,400 an ounce suggests bullion is starting to regain favour with institutional investors and central banks, leaving the market better placed to extend gains as it moves beyond the initial shock of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The outbrea 2026.08.17 166 Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it gets in way of Iran dealPresident Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and called for Iran to surrender. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to o 2026.08.17 167 Gen Z swaps retirement saving for sports bettingMore than half of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 29 put money they had intended to invest for retirement into sports betting over the past year, according to a recent survey by the investing and financial advice app Betterment. And quite a few — 14% — said they're doing so several times 2026.08.17 168 Treasury International Capital Data for JuneThe U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for June 2026. The next release, which will report on data for July 2026, is scheduled for September 16, 2026. The sum total in June of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securitie 2026.08.17