ECONOMY & MARKETS

Although inflation has disrupted the economy and caused prices to rise, there are several ways to save money.

UK's FTSE 100 was unchanged after opening lower on Monday as the Conservative Party announced Liz Truss as Britain's new prime minister as expected, while the British pound remained lower against the dollar.

The euro zone is almost certainly entering a recession, with surveys on Monday showing a deepening cost of living crisis and a gloomy outlook that is keeping consumers wary of spending.

European gas prices surged, share prices slid and the euro sank on Monday after Russia stopped pumping gas to Europe via a major supply route, sending a new tsunami through the European Union economy that has yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major investment houses have cut their yuan forecasts as its fall against the dollar accelerates, with some expecting a breach of the 7-per-dollar milestone before next month's politically sensitive Party Congress despite authorities' efforts to slow the slide.

Thailand's headline inflation rate in August rose slightly from the previous month to a 14-year high, in line with forecast and reinforcing expectations of a further interest rate hike later this month.

The European Union should set up a fiscal capacity to pay for EU public goods, link the pace of debt cuts to individual country risk and let independent fiscal councils play a bigger role in policy, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

European Central Bank policymakers meeting on Thursday have a choice between a big 50 basis point interest rate hike, or an even bigger one to contain record high inflation.

The buoyant outlook for India's housing market has barely changed in the last three months despite the Reserve Bank of India embarking on its most aggressive tightening cycle in a decade, a Reuters poll of property market analysts found.

India's dominant services industry grew faster than expected in August thanks to a solid expansion in demand and a continued easing in cost pressures, encouraging firms to hire at the quickest pace in more than 14 years, a private survey showed.

Indonesia's government predicts inflation will pick up in the next two months after its weekend decision to raise fuel prices, but would normalise in November and the measure would have minimal impact on economic growth, an official said on Monday.

Asian shares slipped on Monday while the euro took a fresh spill after Russia shut a major gas pipeline to Europe, leading some governments there to announce emergency measures to ease the pain of soaring energy prices.

Australian house prices will fall sharply this year and next as rising mortgage rates and cost of living pressures drag on demand, a Reuters poll found, but for many people buying a home will still remain far out of reach.

Finland and Sweden on Sunday announced plans to offer billions of dollars in liquidity guarantees to energy companies in their countries after Russia's Gazprom shut the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, deepening Europe's energy crisis.

Germany will spend at least 65 billion euros ($64.7 billion) on shielding customers and businesses from soaring inflation, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday, two days after Russia announced it was suspending some gas deliveries indefinitely.

As rising energy prices and a new gas levy in Germany are expected to triple fuel bills for consumers from autumn, pressure is mounting on the government to introduce a windfall tax on energy firms to fund further relief measures.

European stocks rose 2% on Friday, clocking gains for the first time in six days after key U.S.

Calls for an unprecedented jumbo 75 basis point lift to interest rates from the European Central Bank next week are on a knife's edge as inflation soars although a very slim majority of economists said it would be tamer, a Reuters poll found.

Ireland's domestic economy grew by 4.3% quarter-on-quarter from April to June, data showed on Friday, mainly driven by a pick up in investment in items such as plant and machinery as consumers also began to spend again on services.

Canada's soaring house prices will decline sharply next year, but still not enough to make them affordable as the Bank of Canada is set to continue raising interest rates and keep them higher for longer, Reuters polls showed.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday that Tokyo will take "appropriate" action as needed on the yen's slide to a fresh 24-year low against the dollar, signaling the chance of intervention to address market volatility.

Asian shares struggled for direction on Friday and the dollar stood tall ahead of a key U.S.

Group of Seven finance ministers are expected to firm up plans on Friday to impose a price cap on Russian oil aimed at slashing revenues for Moscow's war in Ukraine but keeping crude flowing to avoid price spikes, G7 officials said.

Britain's prime minister in waiting Liz Truss models herself on Margaret Thatcher, judging by her photo ops echoing famous images of the country's first female premier.

Japan's economy likely expanded more than initially estimated in April-June thanks to solid business spending, a Reuters poll showed, but growth prospects in the current quarter and beyond may not be strong.

Oil prices climbed on Friday on bets that OPEC+ will discuss output cuts at a meeting on Sept.

South Korea's main inflation rate slowed in August for the first time in seven months and came in below forecasts, but details of the price data released on Friday reinforced views inflation would stay elevated for a while.

Australia will increase its permanent immigration numbers by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current financial year as it looks to shift its focus toward long-term migrants, bringing some relief for businesses battling widespread staff shortages.

Australia's central bank will raise the cash rate by another half-point on Tuesday to curb soaring inflation but will moderate the pace of hikes for the remainder of the year, a Reuters poll of economists found.