A slump in euro-area consumer prices eased in March, offering respite to the European Central Bank after it ramped up stimulus to fend off a deflation threat. The annual rate of inflation in the 19-nation bloc climbed to minus 0.1 percent from minus 0.3 percent in February, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said on Tuesday. That’s the fourth consecutive reading below zero and in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. Unemployment fell to 11.3 percent in February from a revised 11.4 percent the previous month. The Frankfurt-based ECB pledged to buy 1.1 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) of ... (full story)