INFLATION

The consensus is that the upcoming G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers will address the issue of food inflation, the hot button issue of the day.

You can't really blame financial hacks for getting things so wrong, so often. Because every financial decision you now make is a speculation on interest rates. And so pretty much every story a financial journalist might choose to write must start and end with the same speculation, built on the inaction of each monthly central-bank vote.

Criticism of China's exchange-rate policy continues throughout the US. This column argues that the US is in fact the exchange rate manipulator, due to its ongoing quantitative easing. What the US needs to do for a sustainable turnaround is to learn from other successful economies like China and Germany - not de-rail them.

The price of large, wholesale Gold Bars continued rising for US investors on Thursday, ending London trade at a 5-week high of $1383 per ounce as world stock markets held flat and the Dollar slipped on the currency market.

Core inflation, considered the key measure of US inflation, remains tame. However, it is the incorrect measure to look at in this time period and doesn't tell the whole story.

Zambia's economy is expected to grow 6.5 percent this year and 6.6 percent next year on the back of a rally in copper prices and improvements in agriculture, a Reuters poll of 12 economists showed on Thursday.

Nigeria's economy is expected to grow around 7 percent this year, down from 8.5 percent in 2010, with growth moderating gradually in subsequent years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.

Gold rose for a fourth day in a row on Thursday in its strongest run since September, helped by safe-haven demand as unrest spread across the Middle East, while the dollar remained under mild pressure.

China's main share index is not likely to rise much in the first half of 2011 because of worries over monetary tightening, but many sectors are now at attractive valuations, a fund manager at JPMorgan's JF China Fund said on Thursday.

The overall consumer price inflation in the U.S. rose 0.4 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Thursday. The rise in inflation was mainly driven by increases in energy, commodities and food prices, the report said.

U.S. core consumer prices rose at their quickest pace in more than a year in January, government data showed on Thursday, but the increase was not strong enough to suggest a build-up in inflation pressures.

The UK factory orders rose in February as demand for exports from the country continued to improve. Manufacturers’ total order book balance in Britain rose to -8 in February from -16 in January, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey showed on Thursday.

India's food inflation eased to a two-month low in early February on moderating prices of onions and other vegetables, amid expectations the government may announce fresh measures to boost productivity for key staples in the upcoming budget.

Core wholesale prices rose in January at their fastest rate in more than two years, raising some concerns about inflation, but economists said the recovery was too weak for a big spike in consumer prices.

Minutes from the Jan.25-26 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reveal that central bank members had slightly improved their outlook on the U.S. economy, but still decided to maintain their program to purchase $600-million in bonds.

Consumer prices in Rwanda fell for the seventh straight month in January, largely on the cost of vegetables and fish, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) said on Wednesday.

U.S. core producer prices in January rose to their highest rate in more than two years, hinting at a build-up in inflation pressures as the recovery gathers pace, a potentially troubling development for the Federal Reserve.

Gold steadied on Wednesday ahead of a raft of U.S. data due later, having earlier risen to four-week highs as a retreat in the dollar and concerns over the medium-term inflation outlook helped support the precious metal.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday.

U.S. core producer prices in January rose to their highest rate in more than two years, hinting at a build up in inflation pressures as the recovery gathers pace, a potentially troubling development for the Federal Reserve.

The projection for four-quarter growth is weaker than in November for much of 2011, following the weak data around the turn of the year.