EUROPE’S INFLATION HAS EASED FOR 1ST TIME IN YEAR

Inflation in Europe has eased for the first time in more than a year as energy prices drifted down from painful highs, but the double-digit rate still hovers near a record. The consumer price index in the 19 countries that use the euro currency hit 10% in November from a year earlier, statistics agency Eurostat said Wednesday. That was a drop from 10.6% in October, the first decrease since June 2021.