Foreign Exchange Market Update

August 31, 2026

German Inflation Rises to 2.9%

Euro traded at 1.1618 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

Germany's inflation accelerated to a four-month high in August on energy prices. Consumer prices rose 2.9% year-on-year in August after a 2.8% gain in July. A similar higher rate was last seen in April. EU harmonized inflation also rose to a four-month high of 2.9% from 2.8% in the previous month. The European Central Bank (ECB) raised its key interest rates for the first time in nearly three years in June. Following a quarter-point hike, the bank had kept rates unchanged at its July meeting.

Energy price inflation rose from 8.3% to 10.5%. Meanwhile, food inflation eased from 0.4% to 0.1%. Core inflation that excludes prices of food and energy held steady at 2.4% in August. Services inflation softened from 2.9% to 2.8%, while prices of goods climbed at a faster pace of 3.0% after rising 2.5% in July. Monthly, consumer prices moved up 0.2%, slower than the 0.8% rise posted in July. Likewise, the harmonized index of consumer prices climbed 0.2%, following the prior month's 0.9% increase. 08/31/2026 - 08:59:00 (RTTNews)

Australia Company Gross Operating Profits Rise 1.8% in Q2

Company gross operating profits in Australia were up 1.8% on the quarter in the second quarter of 2026. On a yearly basis, profits were up 7.4%. The increase was driven by support from the mining, technical service, and manufacturing sectors, while retail and wholesale trade were down. Wages and salaries rose 1.4% on quarter and 5.7% on year, while inventories dipped 0.2% on quarter and 0.4% on year. 08/30/2026 - 21:53:00 (RTTNews)