Bloomberg With the pandemic waning, the US is gearing up for pre-pandemic levels of trick-or-treating, despite inflation levels not seen for 40 years. Undeterred by soaring prices, 69% of consumers are planning to celebrate Halloween this year compared with 68% in 2019, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said. A survey commissioned by the trade group found that consumers plan …

Bloomberg Chinese banks kept their main lending rates unchanged after the central bank paused its monetary easing and defended a weakening yuan, though a cut is still expected by economists in the coming months to counter headwinds to growth. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was left at 3.65%, according to a statement by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). …

Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) has limited power to stop the downward spiral in the UK pound, said strategists at TD Securities, who are predicting more losses in the coming months. The pound and euro are trapped in a “doom loop” caused by soaring energy prices that feed into weaker economic growth and lower currency values, wrote strategists including …