U.S. BEA - Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent.

UNIAN - "If we don't pay, this will mean inflation, uncontrolled price rises for everything, depreciation of the national currency, halt of industrial production, and so on... And that's why we are adopting a strategy to manage the debt so as to protect people from any negative consequences as much as possible. We spend UAH 130 billion annually on debt servicing alone," Groysman said.

ARAB NEWS - One of the key markers of Iran's economic crisis has been the collapse in the currency, which has lost around half its value since April.

BLOOMBERG - The Norwegian government in June made its first deposit into its wealth fund since the end of 2015. Now that the economy is in full recovery and the labor market is tightening, winding down fiscal stimulus is a key priority in next year’s budget, the prime minister said in an interview in Arendal, on Norway’s southern coast.

IMF - The near-term macroeconomic outlook is broadly favorable. Growth is forecast to rise to 7.3 percent in FY2018/19 and 7.5 percent in FY2019/20, on strengthening investment and robust private consumption. Headline inflation is projected to rise to 5.2 percent in FY2018/19, as demand conditions tighten, along with the recent depreciation of the rupee and higher oil prices, housing rent allowances, and agricultural minimum support prices.

U.S. BEA - The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $46.3 billion in June, up $3.2 billion from $43.2 billion in May, revised.

U.S. BLS - Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 157,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services, in manufacturing, and in health care and social assistance.

IMF - Hungary has achieved several years of strong growth and substantially reduced its external debt. Growth is expected to be around 4 percent in 2018, similar to last year. This strong expansion has been supported by private consumption and EU funds-related investments.

IMF - The Mozambican economy is recovering gradually. Real GDP growth reached 3¾ percent in 2017—¾ percentage point higher than projected by Fund staff in the last Article IV consultation—supported by a stronger-than-expected recovery in agriculture and significantly higher mining production.

IMF - Kenya’s economy has continued to perform well, with real GDP growth accelerating to 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018, from 4.9 percent in 2017.