News about inflation
The drop in Arabica prices continues for the second month in a row. Since the beginning of May, coffee has fallen in price by 7.7%, and in April the decline amounted to 4.3%. Earlier this month, the cost has already broken through the psychological mark of 6 thousand dollars per ton – it happened for the first time since November 14, 2024. However, after that the market corrected upward a bit.
In April, in annualized terms, producer prices of industrial products increased by 1.1%, according to official statistics, and by 0.4% for the month. This means that the pressure on inflation is mainly exerted by external factors and the service sector, rather than local production.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, May 20.
German sandal maker Birkenstock is rapidly losing the “new luxury” halo that helped the company pull off one of the most talked-about IPOs of recent years. While in 2023 investors saw the brand as a future competitor to major luxury industry players, today the market increasingly views Birkenstock as a high-quality but niche footwear business with limited growth potential.
In May on the fruit and berry market of Moldova, contrary to expectations, the prices for strawberries did not continue to decrease, but increased significantly – on average by 10-15%.
Athens International Airport S.A. reported a failed first quarter of 2026: Greece’s largest airport is growing traffic but losing revenue due to massive discounts for airlines.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, May 19.
The bad news is that energy and commodity shortages will push prices higher. The good news is that core inflation remains largely subdued, giving central banks room to maneuver. The bad news is that inflation is rising sharply in the euro area and developing countries face rising inflationary risks from possible food shocks and climate risks. The good news is that a cooler labor market and incomes are keeping core commodity prices in check.
Retail turnover in Ukraine in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 11.2% compared to the same period of 2025. In March, the growth accelerated to 12.8 percent in annual terms, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said.
On Friday, the Romanian leu weakened by 0.2% to 5.2035 per euro ahead of the central bank’s interest rate decision, which took place on the same day but later. This fall was due to investors’ concerns about the central bank’s further policy and the tense economic situation.
In January, year-end inflation in Ukraine was forecasted at 7.5 percent. However, already in the April forecast it reaches 9.4%. However, the projected long-term trend is moderately positive, then inflation at the end of next year will be 6.5%, and in 2028 – 5%.
The conflict in the Middle East, now in its 11th week, has led to the closure of a crucial shipping channel and a spike in energy prices.
Excess liquidity becomes an additional factor of inflation acceleration. When people and companies, as well as the banking system, have more money on hand than is necessary to service the current volume of goods and services, unsecured demand grows faster, which leads to higher prices.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, May 15.
The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) has revised upward its inflation forecast, which will rise from to 8.6% in the last quarter of 2026 against the backdrop of the situation in the Middle East. According to the central bank’s previous official forecast, inflation in Q4 should have amounted to 5.0%, while in the forecast a year earlier (in May 2025) – 4.0%.
Experts have assessed the cryptocurrency’s chance of growth through the summer.
Romania’s economy contracted by 1.7% in unadjusted terms in the first three months of the year compared to the same quarter of 2025 and by 0.2% compared to the previous quarter, according to data released on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Data published on May 13 by Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) showed that the country’s GDP fell by 1.7% in gross terms and 1.5% in seasonally adjusted terms compared to the same quarter of 2025.
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a three-day visit – the first for an American leader in nine years.
The eurozone economy has slowed sharply, growing at an annualized rate of only 0.8% in the first quarter of 2026. However, the three countries are growing many times faster than the bloc.
