Key Events Around the Globe Investors Must Know

UK Inflation Unchanged at 3.8%

U.K. consumer price inflation remained sticky in August on higher food prices, official data showed on Wednesday, ahead of the policy announcement by the Bank of England on Thursday. The consumer price index rose 3.8 per cent on a yearly basis in August, the same rate of increase as seen in July, the Office for National Statistics reported. Inflation matched economists’ expectations and stood well above the target of 2 per cent. The 3.8 per cent inflation was the joint-highest recorded since January 2024, when the rate was 4.0 per cent.

Eurozone Inflation Revised Down to 2%

Eurozone consumer prices rose slightly less than initially estimated in August, final data published by Eurostat showed on Wednesday. Consumer prices advanced 2.0 per cent year-on-year, unchanged from the July’s rate. However, the figure was revised down from 2.1 per cent estimated on September 2. The European Central Bank aims to keep inflation at 2 per cent over the medium term.

Bank of Canada Lowers Interest Rates by A Quarter Point

After leaving interest rates unchanged for three straight meetings, the Bank of Canada on Wednesday announced its widely expected decision to lower rates by a quarter point. The Bank of Canada said it decided to reduce its target for the overnight rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 per cent, with the Bank Rate at 2.75 per cent and the deposit rate at 2.45 per cent.

U.S. Crude Oil Inventories Plunge Much More Than Expected

The Energy Information Administration released a report on Wednesday showing U.S. crude oil inventories pulled back much more than expected in the week ended September 12th. The report said crude oil inventories plunged by 9.3 million barrels last week after jumping by 3.9 million barrels in the previous week. Economists had expected crude oil inventories to dip by 1.5 million barrels. At 415.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 5 per cent below the five-year average for this time of year, the EIA said.

U.S. Housing Starts Pull Back Much More Than Expected in August

After reporting significant increases in new residential construction in the U.S. over the two previous months, the Commerce Department released a report on Wednesday showing housing starts pulled back by much more than expected in the month of August. The Commerce Department said housing starts plummeted by 8.5 per cent to an annual rate of 1.307 million in August after surging by 3.4 per cent to a revised rate of 1.429 million in July.

FED Cuts Interest Rate by 25bps

The US Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut of 2025, lowering the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4%–4.25%.

Source: HDFC Securities Prime Daily, 18 Sept 2025

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