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CPI likely to stay below 4% even under new series due to better balance of items in Basket: BoB Report
New Delhi: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to remain below the 4 per cent target level even under the new series due to a fine balancing of weights, according to a report by Bank of Baroda.
The report noted that the new series is pragmatic as it captures the evolving consumption curve of India. The changes in data coverage and methodology will ensure that headline CPI, which is the crucial target variable for monetary policy decisions, remains contemporary and aligned with international practices.
It stated “with fine balancing of weights in the new CPI series, we expect it to be within the targeted 4+/-2 per cent level”
As per the report, the January 2026 reading of headline CPI came in at 2.8 per cent, in line with the bank’s estimate of 2.9 per cent. Most of the subcomponents of inflation showed no signs of stress. However, volatility persisted in personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods, largely driven by gold prices.
The report noted that the new series assigns a lower weightage to gold and other ornaments than the previous series.
Similarly, the weight of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) vegetables has also been reduced under the new series. The report said this change efficiently captures the earlier biases that existed in the 2011-12 CPI series and would be crucial from a monetary policy standpoint.
According to the report, the more structured series is holistic in nature as it aligns with the consumption expenditure survey and has higher coverage of items to reflect India’s evolving consumption pattern.
The bank’s in-house BoB ECI is running at -0.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis for the first 11 days of February 2026.
The report added that, except for a few items such as edible oils including groundnut oil, sunflower oil and soya oil, and pulses like Tur and Urad, high-frequency food prices are largely contained and do not pose any immediate risk in the near term.
However, the report cautioned that the trajectory of core inflation needs close monitoring as prices of precious metals pose an upside risk. Even so, with the fine balancing of weights in the new CPI series, Bank of Baroda expects inflation to remain within the targeted 4+/-2 per cent level.
Fan spending for Harry Styles’s 12-night run at Wembley Stadium is set to reach £1.1 billion despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, figures suggest.
Ticket-holders are expected to spend a total of £981 on average attending the Together, Together tour – which is limited to London in the UK – including travelling to the venue, staying overnight, buying merchandise and other costs, according to a survey for Barclays bank.
The figure exceeds the average £848 spent by fans who flocked to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, and the average £766 on attending the Oasis Live ’25 shows, although these were both held across four UK locations, leading to lower travel costs.
Styles’ fans anticipate they will spend an average £102 on official tour merchandise, while nine in 10 will participate in a “fan trend” on the day with 63% planning to wear a Harry Styles-themed look.
A fifth (20%) will make sure their outfits are co-ordinated with their friends and 22% hope to create or exchange fan-made items with other fans.
Barclays said the event was set to be a “major cultural moment” as a million ticket-holders travel to London for the 12 dates beginning on June 12.
With just one other European tour location, in Amsterdam, Styles’ Wembley residency will be the most performances by any artist in a single year at the venue, which has a capacity of around 90,000 people for music events.
The survey found those going to the show spent an average of £143.20 on their ticket, with 19% saying this was more than they planned but 66% saying they would have been willing to pay more if needed.
Other expected costs include an average £141.20 on accommodation, £103.10 on transport and £103.10 on food and drinks before the show.
Some 28% of fans say they are planning other activities such as sightseeing and exhibitions while in London.
More than a quarter (27%) of ticket-holders view the concert as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and 17% said FOMO (fear of missing out) played a part in their purchase.
Almost 74% of those polled said getting tickets to sold-out or in-demand events now felt like a status symbol.
Tom Corbett, managing director of sponsorship and client experience at Barclays, said: “This tour shows just how powerful live entertainment can be, benefiting consumers and businesses alike.
“‘Concert tourism’ is on the rise because of the extent to which people value unique, shared experiences – so much so that they’re willing to invest in them even when cutting back elsewhere, and to travel to see their favourite artists perform.”
Opinium surveyed 2,000 respondents, and an additional 200 ticket-holders, between April 28 and May 1.
A sign sits outside of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Roybal campus in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 18, 2026.
Megan Varner | Reuters
One American has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection to the deadly outbreak in central Africa that global health agencies are racing to contain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.
The person was exposed as part of their work in Congo, developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response incident manager, told reporters on a call. The CDC and State Department are working to move that individual and six other Americans exposed to Ebola to Germany for treatment, care and monitoring.
But Pillai emphasized that no cases tied to the outbreak have been confirmed in the U.S., and that the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low.
Still, the CDC also announced on Monday that for the next 30 days, it will restrict entry into the country for people without a U.S. passport who were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks.
The update came one day after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola epidemic a “public health emergency of international concern.” The outbreak does not meet the criteria of a “pandemic emergency,” but the WHO warned that the high positivity rate and increasing cases and deaths point toward a “potentially much larger outbreak” than what is being detected and reported.
As of Sunday, more than 300 suspected cases and 88 suspected deaths have been reported, primarily in Congo but also in neighboring Uganda, according to the CDC.
The specific virus involved in this outbreak, called Bundibugyo, has no vaccine or treatment. Historically, that virus has death rates ranging from 25% to 50%, the CDC added.
But agency officials told reporters on Monday that work is underway to develop a monoclonal antibody therapy as a potential treatment for this specific strain of Ebola.
Musk’s loss against OpenAI is the latest in a string of courtroom defeats.
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