The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March eased to 3.4% with the index point recorded at 129.9 against 125.6 in the corresponding month last year.

Euro zone inflation eased last month but underlying readings remained stubbornly high, Eurostat said on Wednesday, confirming preliminary data that raised worries at the European Central Bank about the persistence of price pressures.

U.S. economic activity was little changed in recent weeks as employment growth moderated somewhat and price increases appeared to slow, according to a Federal Reserve report published on Wednesday.

Britain was the only country in western Europe with double-digit inflation in March after it fell less than expected, official data showed on Wednesday, bolstering bets that the Bank of England will raise interest rates again in May.

Japan's export growth slowed in March, dragged down by a drop in China-bound shipments of cars and steel in a slide that underscores concern about slackening global demand amid higher interest rates and Western banking-sector jitters.

The People’s Bank of China kept its key lending rates steady on Thursday, holding them at historic lows as Beijing moves to shore up economic growth after the withdrawal of most anti-COVID measures earlier this year.