Inflation

Policymakers are poised to reduce eurozone borrowing costs by a quarter percentage point on Thursday, taking the key deposit rate to 3.75 percent from its current record level.

The losses in equities extended a more than week-long sell-off that came on the back of forecast-beating data and warnings from Federal Reserve officials that they were in no rush to lower borrowing costs.

The national statistics agency, INDEC, said that economic activity had slowed 8.4 percent year-on-year in March -- the biggest such interannual change since the Covid pandemic.

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The 3.4% clip in April consumer prices was in line with forecasts but down from March and capped a run of three straight months above estimates that forced investors to reel in their rate cut hopes.

There was also some nervousness on trading floors after Beijing hit out at Washington's decision to impose steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports such as electric vehicles and semiconductors.

For months, the US central bank has maintained its benchmark lending rate at a 23-year high to cool demand and rein in price increases -- with a slowdown in inflation last year fueling optimism that the first cuts were on the horizon.

While the Fed is widely expected to stand pat on borrowing costs after its meeting Wednesday, its statement and boss Jerome Powell's comments will be pored over for clues about their plans for the rest of the year.

It touched 160.17 in morning trade -- its weakest since 1990 -- fanning speculation that Japanese authorities would step in to support their currency for the first time since 2022.

Traders also kept an eye on Japan as the yen wallowed at a fresh three-decade low above 155 per dollar, a level many observers saw as likely to see authorities intervene in currency markets.

The apparent easing of Iran-Israel tensions after the rivals launched missile attacks against each other continued to weigh on oil prices, while the yen inched slightly higher as Japan again warned authorities had the room to intervene to support the currency.

From supply chain disruptions following the coronavirus pandemic to an energy crisis after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's economy has faced multiple challenges in recent years.

US Federal Reserve officials raised concerns at their March interest rate meeting about the recent "broad-based" rise in inflation, but still said they expected cuts to start this year, according to minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.

Foreign exchange rates and food basket inflation have eroded the purchasing power of millions of Mexicans at the receiving end of wire transfers

Analysts predict that the BoE will keep borrowing costs at 5.25 percent, one day after official data showed UK annual inflation slowing to its lowest rate since September 2021.

According to the numbers issued by the government's INDEC statistics agency Tuesday, Argentina's monthly inflation dropped to 13.2% in February, compared to 20.6% in January. Whereas, the inflation was 25.5% in December.

Inflation, which peaked at over 10 percent in late 2022, has been steadily easing, hitting 2.6 percent in February, heading towards the ECB's two-percent target.

Finance Minister Vladimir Regueiro announced via government mouthpiece Granma that the higher prices will enter into force on Friday, March 1.

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President Javier Milei had warned that the country's battle with inflation was far from over when he took office in December, riding a wave of fury over decades of economic mismanagement, and stood by his policies Wednesday.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) stood at 4.0 percent last month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

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The European Central Bank is expected to stand pat Thursday and call for patience in the ongoing battle against inflation, pushing back against market hopes of rapid interest rate cuts.

Many residents in Havana, the capital of Cuba, have shared that there has been an increase in the price of several commodities since the government's announcement.

The debate is heating up as European Central Bank policymakers meet this week, with many observers now expecting its benchmark lending rates to start coming down by this summer.

Prices in the world's third-largest economy, excluding volatile fresh food, rose 2.3 percent year-on-year in December, down from 2.5 percent the previous month.

The US Federal Reserve is "within striking distance" of reaching its long-term inflation target and could begin cutting interest rates this year, a senior official said Tuesday.

Argentina's annual inflation surged beyond 200 percent in 2023, the statistics agency said Thursday, as the country grapples with an economic crisis new President Javier Milei has vowed to address by slashing state spending.

A "Vibes" survey from Axios and the Harris Poll illustrated respondents' feelings about certain key issues, rather than hard data

US vehicle sales got a boost from strong demand in 2023, due in part to attractive offers by automakers and dealers in the face of high interest rates and stubborn inflation.