Inflation accelerates in France, putting the Europ

Ai Hui Cha, August 31: Just as European Central Bank officials are preparing to decide whether to continue raising interest rates, inflation in France accelerated in August, further proving the ongoing inflationary pressure in the region. Adding to the previously released inflation data for Germany and Spain, policymakers are now seeing that prices remain firm in three of the four major economies in the region. Previously, members of the European Central Bank's management committee believed that inflation data was crucial for the September meeting, which would decide whether the central bank would raise interest rates for the 10th consecutive time or suspend its historic tightening actions.