Economy
Why the Conference Board's 91.7 October Reading Is a 7.5-Point Gain on a Revised 84.2
The Conference Board's preliminary October index rose to 91.7 from a revised 84.2, as the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting began on Oct. 27.
Author
Daniel Prescott
Contributor
Daniel Prescott starts every story with three questions: what changed, why it matters and who feels it first. He writes on the economy, markets, companies and policy for The USA Standard, and on the people driving American business, for readers from households and small businesses to global investors.
He works from primary sources and data, labels a forecast as a forecast and keeps his prose crisp and neutral, so readers following a fast-moving story get context they can check for themselves.
Stories by Daniel Prescott
Markets
EQT Agrees to Buy Range Resources in $13 Billion All-Stock Deal
EQT agreed on Oct. 25 to buy Range Resources in an all-stock deal valued at about $13 billion, creating a combined gas producer with output above 9 Bcfe per day.
Policy
EU Sets €2 Handling Fee on Non-EU Parcels, Expected From 1 November, on Top of €3 Duty
The European Commission set a €2 handling fee on low-value parcels from outside the EU, expected to apply from 1 November 2026 on top of the €3 duty already in force.
Markets
What the BoJ's 29–30 October Meeting Could Mean for a 5.00% 10-Year Treasury Yield
Japan's policy rate, its 10-year government bond yield and its holdings of Treasuries link Tokyo to US yields ahead of the BoJ's 29 and 30 October policy meeting.
Economy
What Jobless Claims of 194,000 Show Before the Fed's Oct. 27-28 Meeting
Initial jobless claims fell to 194,000 in the week ended Oct. 17, Reuters reported on Oct. 22, while continuing claims held near 1.73 million ahead of the Fed's Oct. 27-28 meeting.
Policy
Why Healey's 28 October Budget Confirms a Business Rates Cut but Not Bank Changes
The Chancellor's first Budget, on 28 October, will come with a fiscal forecast. Business rate cuts are confirmed; bank, energy and capital gains changes are not.
Economy
What Separates the 4.2% U-3 Rate From the 7.6% U-6 in September's Jobs Report
The monthly jobless rate comes from a household survey. U-3 and U-6 differ by who is counted as unemployed, discouraged or marginally attached.
Policy
What Replacing China's 1.4% Seven-Day Rate With an Overnight Benchmark Would Change
China's central bank is weighing a switch from its seven-day rate to the overnight interbank repo rate as its main policy benchmark, Reuters reported on 19 October 2026.
Economy
Final-Demand Producer Prices Rose 6.3% in the 12 Months Ended September, BLS Says
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Producer Price Index tracks what domestic producers receive for output. Its September 2026 reading rose 6.3% over 12 months.
Policy
Singapore grows 5.4% year on year in third quarter as MAS holds its currency band steady
Singapore's advance third-quarter GDP rose 5.4% from a year earlier, and the Monetary Authority kept its currency band unchanged on 14 October 2026.
