WSJ Economy

Provisional purchasing managers’ surveys for March in the U.S. and Europe in the week will provide a key gauge of how the ongoing war in the Middle East has impacted sentiment and business activity.

Consumers in Canada showed signs of resilience in the early months of the year despite mounting struggles for the economy.

The Bank of Russia reduced borrowing costs to 15% even as a surge in oil prices promises to boost an economy that had been faltering.

As the Middle East conflict sends energy prices soaring, markets are watching to see how policymakers will respond this time around.

For investors, the narrow decision sets up a potential third-rate rise this year at the Australian central bank’s next board meeting in May.

The Iran war and its impact on energy prices is forcing global central banks to reassess their interest rate plans.

A 1994 paper blew up the consensus that minimum-wage increases kill jobs. Economists have been at each other’s throats ever since.

The Leading Economic Index, or LEI, published by research group The Conference Board, inched down by 0.1% to 97.5, after a 0.2% decline in December.

Should disruptions persist and energy prices remain high this year, goods trade flows this year would grow by 1.4%, a weaker outcome than the 1.9% increase previously expected before the war, the WTO said.

The bank’s manufacturing business outlook survey showed the current-activity index at 18.1 versus 16.3 in February.

The reading comes as war in the Middle East threatens to hit growth and push the jobless rate even higher in the coming months.

The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits was 205,000 in the week through March 14, lower than the 213,000 reported a week earlier.

The SNB again signaled its willingness to intervene in the foreign-exchange market after the Iran war pushed the Swiss franc higher.

The Taiwanese central bank raised its inflation outlook, citing uncertainty stemming from the Middle East conflict.

The Japanese central bank maintained its policy rate at 0.75% against an uncertain backdrop of conflict in the Middle East and volatile energy markets.

The Federal Reserve chair said he would stay on the board until the Justice Department probe ends—and maybe longer.

The country’s economy grew by just 0.2% in the fourth quarter and by 1.3% from a year earlier, well short of the expected annual growth of 1.7%.

The bank’s monetary committee cut the Selic benchmark lending rate as expected to 14.75% from the 15% level it had been at since June.

A new oil shock is threatening to prolong the Fed’s yearslong fight to bring down inflation ahead of a leadership transition.

Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem believes time is on his side about making a judgment call in response to higher energy prices. A weak Canadian economy bolsters his case.