CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

Inflation in the eurozone rose to 2.4 percent in January from 2.2. percent in December, according to the preliminary estimates of Eurostat, European Union's official statistics agency.

Japan's core consumer prices fell in December from a year earlier for a 22nd consecutive month, as slow wage growth and sluggish demand kept the country mired in deflation while the government grapples with heavy public debt.

China's annual economic growth is expected to ease to about 9 percent in the first quarter while consumer inflation is projected at 5 percent, according to a government think tank report published in the official Chinese Securities Journal on Thursday.

Overall food prices in the U.S. are going to inch up between 2 and 3 percent this year, putting an added burden on household budgets.

China’s economy is estimated to grow at 9.8 percent in 2011, with inflation likely to reach 3.7 percent.

Chinese media praised President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States on Friday as a diplomatic masterstroke in easing tensions, but reports largely ignored thornier questions of currency and human rights.

Close on the heels of a China central bank adviser hinting at an imminent rate hike, a state-controlled newspaper has said more rate hike is on the cards, probably as early as in February, confirming the dominant view that Beijing will pull out all the stops to address what is becoming a serious political problem.

China's economy recorded a 10.3 percent growth in 2010, coming back strongly from the global crisis, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed.

China's consumer price index (CPI) dipped to 4.6 percent in the last year, according to a report by Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, BBC reported.

Gilts and short sterling futures slid on Tuesday after data showed UK consumer price inflation rose faster than forecast in December, fuelling concerns the Bank of England may be forced to raise interest rates sooner than expected.

Investors remain preoccupied by the threat of further monetary tightening in China, writes Marc Ground at Standard Bank in London today. This is weighing on precious metal prices, encouraged further by a stronger Dollar off the back of lingering Eurozone debt concerns.

U.S. inflation increased a marginal 0.5 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, helping annual inflation rate to rise to a seven-month high, while core prices nudged up by 0.1 percent.

Companies will no longer be able to force staff to retire at 65, Britain's government said on Thursday in a move to boost the number of older people staying on at work as the population ages.

Chinese high inflation rates are expected to continue until the second or third quarter despite the government’s efforts to tame rising prices, according to a survey of 56 leading economists.

As the global economy is entering arguably another tumultuous year, spotlight is sharply on the prospects, policies and risks of China's economy, which has all but sailed past Japan's as the world's second largest after the United States.

EUR/USD probably freed itself from a falling channel and entered a slightly progressing uptrend, inside which the pair is now poised for a rebound.

British retail sales rose in November for a second consecutive month as consumer spending picked up ahead of a hike in value added tax (VAT) next year.

Inflation in the U.S. continued to remain weak during November, in line with analysts' expectations, according to a report by the U.S. Labor Department.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a lower opening on Wednesday with futures on the S&P 500 down 0.47 percent, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.39 percent and Nasdaq100 futures down 0.47 percent.

The British pound strengthened on Tuesday on a higher-than-expected inflation reading for November, with the sentiment also supported by a view that the US Federal Reserve may expand its bond buyback program at its monetary policy later in the day, supplying more dollars into the system.

A survey conducted by Association for Financial Professionals showed the executives do not believe that additional fiscal stimulus is necessary or desirable at this stage.