INFLATION

Higher energy costs boosted producer prices 0.9 percent in May, but excluding volatile food and energy costs, prices paid at the factory gate were up a more moderate 0.2 percent, the Labor Department reported on Thursday.

Huge increases in U.S. food prices over the past few months are not only putting a strain on consumer's pocketbooks, but they may also make the Federal Reserve's fight to curb inflation more difficult.

U.S. economic activity expanded from mid-April through May, with a number of areas reporting stronger growth, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

Retail sales in May rose at the strongest pace since January 2006, while import prices surged, adding to recent data suggesting the U.S. economy is recovering strongly from a first-quarter slowdown.

Gov't to 'appropriately tighten' monetary policy to keep inflation in check.

Gold fell to a three-month low on Wednesday when the dollar extended its ascent against major currencies as markets dropped expectations of lower U.S. interest rates later in the year.

The Nikkei average slipped 0.16 percent on Wednesday as Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. and other property firms fell on concerns about rising interest rates, while a slide in metal prices hit metal shares.

The dollar rallied against the euro for the fifth consecutive session on Tuesday to an 11-week high, according to Reuters data, as rising U.S. Treasury yields lured investors.

Gold fell nearly one percent on Tuesday to trade near last week's three-month low, with a firmer dollar and a decline in oil putting pressure on the metal.

Stocks slid further Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared to chide investors who may have looked past concerns about inflation following Fed comments last week. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 100 points.

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The International Monetary Fund urged Denmark on Thursday to slow its economic growth for next year by issuing higher interest rates.

Hardly anyone expects the Bank of England to raise interest rates this week but markets are still on heightened alert after the central bank caught them on the hop with a quarter point hike in August.

House prices rose a robust one percent last month, Halifax data shows, suggesting the property market has remained resilient in the wake of August's interest rate rise.

The recent spectacular drop in oil prices has taken inflation expectations down with it, along with the returns on inflation hedges including TIPS, or Treasury inflation-protected securities

House prices rose at their fastest annual pace in two years in September, a survey showed on Monday

Fitch Ratings agency has affirmed its ratings for Australia and says its outlook is stable.

United Nations economists predict Thailand's economy can grow, stating that gross domestic product has the potential to reach 4.7 percent next year provided the new government maintains stability.

The dollar rose against major currencies on Friday as a slew of economic data eased investors' concerns about a sharp slowdown in the U.S. economy.

U.S. consumer spending slipped in August but falling gasoline prices elevated shoppers' moods by September and Midwest factory activity picked up as well, according to reports on Friday that suggested the economy was still motoring along. Meanwhile, indicators for consumer prices offered a mixed reading on inflation.

St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President William Poole said on Friday that inflation must be kept under wraps, but if both growth and price pressures were sufficiently weak, he would back a reduction in U.S. interest rates. He said policy should be disciplined but not more than warranted.