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Euro-Zone Factory-Gate Prices Surge
Factory gate prices in the euro zone posted their sharpest annual gain for nearly two-and-a-half years in February, putting further pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates later this week, official data showed Monday. Industrial producer prices rose 0.8% from January and were 6.6% higher than in February last year, the strongest annual increase since September 2008, the European Union's Eurostat agency said. The data are likely to cement expectations that the ECB, which aims to keep inflation just below 2% over the medium term, could raise interest rates several times this year, starting with ... (full story)