— The U.S. Consumer Price Index was flat for May, indicating a slowdown in inflation, which is up 3.3% over the past 12 months.
— The Federal Reserve said it expects to cut rates just once in 2024 since inflation remains above the 2% target rate.
— U.S. consumer sentiment is on a downtrend, most recently registering 66 on the University of Michigan index vs. 79 in March, with inflation a key concern.
— The major French stock index fell 6% in the past week, as the finance minister warned of a financial crisis if either the extreme right or the extreme left won the upcoming parliamentary election (June 30 – July 7).
— 77% of 1,000 large companies surveyed globally are providing ESG and sustainability data on their operations up from 56% at the end of 2023, but only 30% are ready to meet the more stringent reporting requirements.
