Page 39 - Inflation

As inflation slows, rate-cut bets surface across Asia on policy pivot

Amid signs that inflation in the region is now slowing, the narrative among market participants has shifted from "peak rates" to rate cuts, which should help drive a rebound in sovereign debt

UK's 'greedflation' concerns are groundless, says ex-BOE rate setter

Saunders, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee between 2016 and 2022, found that profit margins in the manufacturing and services sectors have slipped below the long-run average

At -0.92%, India's wholesale price inflation at its lowest since Aug 2020

The WPI food inflation in April was 0.17 per cent as compared to 2.32 per cent in March

Low inflation shows RBI Policy is effective: Governor Shaktikanta Das

The impact of the recent unseasonal rain and hailstorms, however, needs to be watched

Inflation cooling; confident that monetary policy is on track: RBI Guv

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said the cooling off in headline inflation to 4.7 per cent during April is "very satisfying". The governor said the release of the official data on Friday gives confidence that the "monetary policy is on the right track". He, however, declined to comment if the release of the numbers will lead the RBI to be less hawkish or change the stance of the policy, quipping that all of it will be clear on the morning of June 8, when the next policy review is scheduled. Speaking at the book launch of G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant's book 'Made in India', Das said the RBI is "quite optimistic and fairly confident" about the country's 6.5 per cent real GDP growth rate in FY24 even though other analysts are not so sanguine. Admitting that there is a statistical base effect, Das said one must speak to any entrepreneur to understand the growth momentum of higher sales every month. Das said private investments are also picking up, and enlisted ste

Retail inflation eases to 4.7% in April; March IIP falls sharply to 1.1%

The food inflation also eased to 3.84% in April

Britannia forecasts around 3% input cost inflation for FY24: MD Berry

Britannia Industries Ltd, India's largest biscuit maker, has forecast low single-digit input cost inflation for the current fiscal year. The company said it is closely monitoring input costs and will remain watchful of competitive pricing activities. Britannia's plan has taken into account the low single-digit inflation of around three per cent for FY'24, company vice-chairman and MD Varun Berry told analysts at an earning concall. "We are now in a phase where inflation is going to be moderate and not what we've seen in the last two years," he said. Berry said Britannia haS taken pricing actions to offset inflation in the last fiscal year. However, with some softening of material prices in the second half of the year and stepped-up cost efficiencies, the company is evaluating if any corrections in price need to be made. Certain brands and packs have already seen price reductions or promotions, officials said. Britannia which had a very low volume growth in the last fiscal expects

Interest rate hold likely as inflation at its weakest in 18 months

Easing inflation will bring relief to policy makers when the economy is facing headwinds from geopolitical tensions and slowing global demand

US weekly jobless claims hit 1-1/2-year high; producer inflation cooling

The government reported on Wednesday that the annual increase in consumer prices slowed to below 5% in April for the first time in two years

Bank of England raises interest rates to 4.5% as inflation slow to fall

The BoE forecast the economy would grow 0.25% this year - compared with its February prediction of a 0.5% contraction

China's slow consumer inflation, deepening deflation to test policy

The consumer price index (CPI) in April rose 0.1% year-on-year, the lowest rate since February 2021, and cooling from the 0.7% annual gain seen in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said

Inflation likely to hit 18-month low in April as price rise moderates: Poll

Predictions ranged from 4.40% to 5.80%, with respondents expecting inflation to remain below the RBI's 6.00% upper tolerance limit for the second consecutive month

OECD CPI falls to 7.7% in March 2023, as energy inflation continues to drop

Energy prices declined by 0.9 percentage point in March. Food inflation and inflation less food less energy increased slightly

Inflation slightly above 'tolerance limit', govt working to control it: FM

India's annual retail inflation for March rose at the slowest pace in nearly 15 months

For a veg thali of Rs 100, Indians paid Rs 109 in 2022; Rs 132 for non-veg

The rise was sharper in the case of non-veg thali because chicken prices rose 55% between April and December

ECB raises rates by 25 bps to 3.25% in inflation fight in a 7th hike

The central bank for the 20 countries that share the euro has now lifted rates by a combined 375 basis points since last July, its fastest pace of tightening

19.6 mn guarantee cards distributed via 3,000 relief camps in Rajasthan: CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said 1.96 crore guarantee cards have been distributed in the state through the ongoing "Mahangai Rahat" camps where registration for 10 government schemes is being done. Addressing a public rally in Udaipur's Kotda, Gehlot said 3,000 such camps are being organised in the state through which 1.96 crore guarantee cards have so far been distributed. The camps started from April 24. Registration for 10 schemes is being done at these camps and the beneficiaries are given guarantee cards. After the registration, the benefits will be passed on to the eligible people from the date of the commencement of the schemes. "Our focus is on the inflation relief camps so that families can save some money by taking the benefits of government schemes. We have given a guarantee for 10 schemes," the chief minister said. He said it is a one-of-its-kind initiative of the Rajasthan government to provide relief to people from inflation. Gehlot said if the

IMF says inflation, rate hikes to slow growth across Mideast this year

Economies across the Middle East and Central Asia will likely slow this year as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates bite into their post-pandemic gains, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The IMF's Regional Economic Outlook blamed in part rising energy costs, as well as elevated food prices, for the estimated slower growth. The report said that while oil-dependent economies of the Gulf Arab states and others in the region have reaped the benefits of elevated crude prices, other countries such as Pakistan have seen growth collapse after an unprecedented flooding last summer or as economic woes worsened. The regional slowdown also comes as an explosion of fighting in Sudan between two top rival generals who only a year ago as allies orchestrated a military coup that upended the African country's transition to democracy threatens a nation where IMF and World Bank debt relief remains on hold. Rising interest rates, used by central banks worldwide to tr

Pakistan's inflation outpaces Sri Lanka as Asia's fastest amid food crisis

Consumer prices rose 36.4% in April from a year earlier, the highest since 1964, according to data released by the statistics department Tuesday

Europe's inflation inches up ahead of central bank's interest rate decision

Europe's painful inflation inched higher last month, extending the squeeze on households and keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to unleash another large interest rate increase. Consumer prices in the 20 countries using the euro currency jumped 7 per cent in April from a year earlier, just down from the annual rate of 6.9 per cent in March, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat said on Tuesday. Food prices eased a little, falling to an annual 13.6 per cent from March's 15.5 per cent, while energy prices rose a more modest 2.5 per cent. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel, slowed slightly but was still high at 5.6 per cent, underlining the expectation that the ECB will press ahead with its campaign to beat inflation into submission with rate hikes. The question is: How quickly will the bank go? Analysts say the ECB's meeting on Thursday in Frankfurt could end in an increase of a quarter- or a half-percentage point. A quarter-point hike would be a