policy. The benchmark consumer-price index rose 5.2% from a year earlier after a 5.0% gain in December, the country's statistics office said. The reading beat a median market forecast of a 4.9% rise but fell from the most recent peak of 6.3% in July. (DJN) Wage-growth pressures are continuing to build in Australia, something that is increasingly worrying the Reserve Bank of Australia as inflation remains at its highest levels in three decades. The share of companies reporting moderate or substantial increases in wage pressures over the past six months has risen significantly, coming in at around 50% in the fourth quarter, according to the National Australia Bank. (DJN) Feedback Loop

This newsletter is compiled by James Christie in San Francisco.

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This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

02-02-23 0721ET