FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Eurozone's Annual Inflation Rate Climbs to 2.6% in March, Final Data Shows

-- Annual inflation in the euro area climbed to 2.6% in March from 1.9% in February, according to final data from Eurostat published Thursday.

The final reading is higher than the flash estimate of 2.5%.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices were 1.3% higher, compared with the preliminary reading of 1.2%.

Excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, the annual inflation rate came in at 2.3%, in line with the initial reading but below the previous month's 2.4%. Month over month, core consumer prices were 0.8% higher, matching the preliminary estimate.

Related Articles

Equities

Odfjell Drilling Buys Japan-made Vessels for $290 Million

Odfjell Drilling (ODL.OL) signed contracts valued at $290 million to buy four stainless steel vessels from a shipowner in Japan.The Norwegian drilling and engineering company said Wednesday the ships will be delivered from the first quarter of 2027 until the second quarter of 2029.The 40,000 deadweight tonnage fuel-efficient ships will be used for core deep-sea trades.

$ODL.OL
Sectors

Sector Update: Health Care

Health care stocks edged higher Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index increasing 0.1% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 0.3%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.1%.In corporate news, Boston Scientific (BSX) shares jumped nearly 9% after its Q1 results exceeded Wall Street's estimates.

$BSX
Australia

McDonald's to Deliver Q1 Results Near Expectations, Reaffirm 2026 Outlook, RBC Says

McDonald's (MCD) is expected to report Q1 results close to expectations and reaffirm its 2026 outlook, RBC Capital Markets said Tuesday in a report.The setup heading into earnings is slightly unfavorable given the company's exposure to lower-income consumers in the US, a group facing increasing pressure from higher gasoline prices, RBC said. Q1 results are due May 7.US same-store sales are expected to grow 4.5%, about 29 basis points ahead of consensus, while international markets are expected to show slightly slowing momentum with performance modeled to be roughly in line with expectations, the report said.RBC said it will look for commentary on the impact from the Middle East conflict, which is likely to be only a slight directional headwind in Q1 and into Q2.RBC maintained its sector perform rating with a $330 price target.Price: $301.05, Change: $-0.79, Percent Change: -0.26%

$MCD