Economic & Analysis News

FARNBOROUGH, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airlines flying European long-haul routes are facing a fuel cost penalty that could exceed $8 billion between May and August 2026, according to a new operational data report released today by i6 Group, a global leader in integrated aviation fuel management technology. The report, “Middle East Conflict: Summer 2026 Outlook,” draws on real fueling transactions captured at nearly 300 airports worldwide by i6's Fusion6 platform and provides insight into the co...

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has revised its outlook on Italy’s life insurance segment to stable from negative, primarily reflecting the improvement in lapses and its expectation that companies can continue to adjust to keep positive net inflows. In its new Best’s Market Segment Report, “Market Segment Outlook: Italy Life Insurance,” AM Best also states that it expects life insurance premium income to remain resilient in 2026, consolidating its recovery trend. Andrea Porta, senior financ...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KBRA releases research examining the potential impact of Medallia's looming default on the private credit universe. Although this represents one of the larger term loans in the direct lending market—at nearly $3 billion—we conclude that KBRA-rated vehicles with exposure, as well as the broader direct lending market, are well positioned to absorb any potential losses. Click here to view the report. Recent Publications Private Credit: Q1 2026 Middle Market Compendium: S...

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today released the results of its Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI), which analyzes the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans. The funded status of the Milliman 100 PFI plans improved by $23 billion during April, driven by strong investment returns of 2.13%. This lifted the funded ratio from 105.9% at the end of March to 107.8% at the end of April—the highest mark recorded since October 2007, whe...

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CWCI found that after declining for nearly a decade, California workers' comp inpatient stays have leveled off and spinal surgeries are trending down....

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lincoln International, a global investment banking advisory firm, announced today that the Lincoln Private Market Index (LPMI), an index that tracks changes in the enterprise value of U.S. privately held companies, decreased by 2.2% in Q1, driven primarily by a 7.8% decrease for technology companies (driven by an 8.8% decrease for software companies) and a 1.5% decrease for business services companies while all other industries remained flat or modestly up quarter-over...

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Diamond prices saw mixed trends in April, with small stones recovering even as the 1-carat index continued to decline. Production cuts reduced inventories and supported prices for 0.30- and 0.50-carat goods. This was partly a correction following heavy price drops throughout 2025. Larger diamonds saw a more negative trend during the month, having fared better than small ones last year. Goods located outside the US performed more positively during April than those in...

ATLANTA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), one of the world’s leading providers of financial market technology and data powering global capital markets, today reported April 2026 trading volume and related revenue statistics, which can be viewed on the company’s investor relations website at https://ir.theice.com/ir-resources/supplemental-information in the Monthly Statistics Tracking spreadsheet. April highlights include: Total open interest (OI) up 23% y/...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The pace of job growth among U.S. small businesses showed an increase in April, marking the second consecutive month of gains as employers continued to demonstrate resilience amid ongoing economic uncertainty, according to the latest Paychex Small Business Employment Watch. The national jobs index, which reflects employment growth in U.S. small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, rose 0.35 percentage points from March to April (99.16), the largest one‑mont...

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shipper spending rose sharply in the first quarter of 2026 as tightening capacity and a surge in diesel fuel prices pushed freight costs significantly higher, even as shipment volumes remained largely flat, according to the latest U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. National shipment volume edged down 0.3% from the fourth quarter of 2025, while shipper spending jumped 12.9% over the same period. This was the largest quarter-over-quarter increase since late 2020. Compa...