Asset price inflation

BELGRADE - Quoting figures released by the national statistical office, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) said on Tuesday Serbian y-o-y inflation had decelerated further, measuring 5.6 pct in February, in line with the its expectations.

Speaking on the government's decision to reduce inflated prices on certain supermarket goods on Friday, Development Minister Kostas Skrekas said that the measure will be permanent and that it tackles a decades-long malaise.

The underlying trend of inflation has started to decline, and the inflation will decrease in the second half of 2024 after reaching its peak, Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan has said.

Consumer sentiment in Bulgaria is reflecting concerns about rising inflation. Recent data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reveals that consumers believe there has been a notable increase in consumer prices over the last year, and their expectations for inflation in the coming year are strengthening.

Eurostat estimated on Tuesday that European Union-harmonized inflation rose considerably in October to reach 3.9%, which is mainly attributed to food price hikes after a few weeks of natural disasters that mainly struck central Greece.

Traders in markets are looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's summer conference for signs of whether the U.S. central bank thinks inflation is under control or more interest rate hikes are needed to cool inflation.

Fed officials have used the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conference in previous years to indicate changes in policy direction.

Lending in Bulgaria remains high against the backdrop of another increase in interest rates by the ECB. The goal of the central bank is to reduce inflation to 2%, but the forecasts are that it will remain high for a long period of time, commented President Christine Lagarde.

U.S. inflation is showing signs of entering a more stubborn phase that will likely require drastic action by the Federal Reserve, a shift that has panicked financial markets and heightens the risks of a recession.

The residential property market is on the government's radar, while excessive price movements are being closely watched, Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati has said.

A comprehensive study on the sharp increases in the real estate market has been launched, Nebati said. "We are doing and will continue to do what is necessary."

The United States and the European Union can avoid recession and achieve a soft landing by bringing inflation down to an acceptable level, a U.S. central bank official said on Aug. 2.

"A soft landing is feasible in the U.S. and the EA [euro area]," St Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard during a speech at New York university.