Paris
Rising inflation has spooked stocks and pushed up the cost of government borrowing, leading some analysts to wonder whether the long bull run on financial markets might finally be coming to an end.
An economic monster in the second half of the 20th century, inflation has not been a major issue for several decades.
But headline inflation in the 19-nation eurozone hit 0.9 percent in January — a month after prices had fallen 0.3 percent — mostly owing to a spike in energy costs.
And in a little over a week, the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes has climbed to 1.39 percent, the highest in a year.
That pulled the German 10-year rate, Europe’s standard, to -0.28 percent, last seen in June 2020 and a level that nonetheless still shows investors are willing to take a small loss to lend Berlin money.—AFP
