“Euro zone March inflation revised slightly down…”

Inflation in the euro zone in March was slightly lower than previously reported but remains at record highs due to rising energy costs, according to EU statistics. Eurostat, the European Union’s Census Bureau, said consumer prices in the 19 countries that share the euro, rose 2.4% monthly in March, up 7.4% year-on-year. An earlier estimate by Eurostat put March inflation at 2.5% in the month and 7.5% from a year earlier. According to Eurostat, energy prices in March rose 44.4% year-on-year, while prices for raw foods rose 7.8%. However, even after excluding these two most volatile factors from inflation measurements, the annual inflation rate in March was 3.2%, well above the ECB’s target.

Crypto exchange Binance curbs services in Russia

The world’s largest crypto exchange announced Thursday that it has disabled the accounts of Russia’s top clients, limiting domestic services in line with European Union sanctions. Binance has informed users that Russian citizens, residents and companies based in cryptocurrencies in excess of € 10,000 ($ 10,900) will be banned from new deposits and transactions.

Soaring battery costs fail to cool electric vehicle sales

Despite the soaring prices of EV stickers which have to be displayed on electric vehicles, buyers around the world are lining up to buy EVs this year. This twists about a decade and a half of the automotive industry’s traditional knowledge that EV sales will not surge until battery costs fall below the threshold. However, the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel for internal combustion engines has skyrocketed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and experts say that despite the volatile economy, environmental concerns are also a buyer for electric vehicles.

Gold coins glimmer amid the global gloom

A fledgling crypto class thriving at risk covers a wider market paralyzed by war and inflation. A fast-growing type of crypto, Stablecoin has emerged as a popular medium of exchange often used by traders seeking to transfer funds. For example, it is easier to exchange large stablecoins for Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies than to exchange traditional money such as US dollars for Bitcoin. Gold-lined coin is still a niche newcomer to the crypto market. PAXG and Tether Gold are less than two years old due to their lack of liquidity and little certainty about their long-term fate.

Gold flat as robust dollar offsets Ukraine risks

On Tuesday, gold prices were flat, stuck between a higher dollar and safe-haven demand fuelled by fears about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and rising inflation. Spot gold XAU= remained unchanged at $1,978.30 per ounce, after hitting a one-month high of $1,998.10 on Monday. Gold futures in the United States GCv1 fell 0.3 percent to $1,981.30 per ounce.

Oil prices fall in a volatile market due to fears about demand and supply disruptions.

Investors weighed demand fears against tight global supplies after Libya suspended some exports, and as industries in Shanghai prepared to resume following a COVID-19 closure, oil prices fell in turbulent trading on Tuesday. This decline followed a rise of more than 1% on Monday, when oil prices hit their highest since March 28 on Libyan oil supply disruptions.

International Investment Position of Malta: 2021

A press release dated 20^th April 2022 compared figures recorded at the end of 2020. Total foreign assets increased by €10.4 billion in 2021 while total foreign debt increased by €10.6 billion and the total foreign debt increased by 10.6 billion euros, decreasing as a whole. The increase in Malta’s external assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase of € 7.5 billion increase in Portfolio Investment and a € 3.3 billion other investments.

As of the end of December 2021, Malta’s foreign liabilities stood at €261.3 billion. Direct Investment amounted to €217.5 billion, up from €209.3 billion recorded in December 2020, and accounted for 83.2 per cent of total foreign liabilities. Moreover, other Investment represented 14.6 per cent of total foreign liabilities and totalled €38.3 billion.

Malta:  Registered Employment – March 2022

A press release dated 21^st April 2022 stated that according to data provided by Jobsplus for March 2022 indicate a year-on-year decrease of 1,288 persons registering under Part I, and an additional drop of 91 persons registering under Part II of the unemployment register

Registered unemployment levels decreased across all age groups for both males and females. The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work decreased by four persons when compared to the previous year, reaching 256 persons. Males accounted for 74.2 per cent of total registrants with a disability.

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as Clerical support workers, with 21.5 per cent and 44.4 per cent respectively.

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