* Forecasts are mixed for Friday’s PCE inflation data for March
* Mining giant BHP offered to buy rival Anglo American in $39bn mega deal
* Demand for mortgages drops as mortgage rates rise to highest since November
* Solar manufacturers petition US to impose tariffs on Asian imports
* US durable goods orders rose more than expected in March:

US fertility rate falls to record low as fewer babies were born in America in 2023 than any year since 1979. The long-term effects of the trend could influence economic activity and government programs, such as Social Security, says Phillip Levine, an economics professor at Wellesley College. “It has the ability to have a significant impact on the way we live for a long time to come,” he tells The Wall Street Journal.