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Global shares mostly rose Thursday, following a rally on Wall Street driven by encouraging update on US inflation. France's CAC 40 edged up 1.4% in early trading to 7,576.97, while Germany's DAX was down less than 0.1% at 7,576.97. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.7% to 8,355.34. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly unchanged. In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.3% to finish at 38,572.60. Bank of Japan data showed wholesale prices in Japan rose 3.8% in December last year compared to a year earlier, adding to pressures on the central bank to raise interest rates, possibly at a monetary policy meeting next week. In China, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.2% to 19,522.89, while the Shanghai Composite index rose nearly 0.3% to 3,236.03. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.4% to 8,327.00. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.2% to 2,527.49. Treasury yields eased following an update on how much more US households had ..
US inflation probably worsened last month on the back of higher prices for gas, eggs, and used cars, a trend that could make it less likely that the Federal Reserve will cut its key interest rate much this year. On Wednesday the Labour Department is expected to report that in December the consumer price index rose 2.8% from a year ago, according to economists surveyed by FactSet, up from a 2.7% yearly increase in November. It would be the third straight rise, after inflation fell to a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. The uptick could fuel ongoing concerns among many economists and in financial markets that inflation has gotten stuck above the Fed's 2% target. Such concerns have sent interest rates on Treasury securities higher, which has also pushed up borrowing costs for mortgages, cars, and credit cards, even as the Fed has cut its key rate. Last Friday's unexpectedly strong jobs report caused stock and bond prices to plunge on fears that a healthy economy could keep inflation