IBGR.NEWS - ECONOMIC NEWS YOU CAN USE FOR 16FEB22

Corporations are using inflation as an excuse to raise prices and make fatter profits — and it's making the problem worse
BusinessInsider, Joe Readle, 16NOV21

• Large companies tend to use periods of rising inflation to boost their profit margins.
• Having fewer competitors in an industry makes it even easier for companies to raise prices.
• The current inflation rate is a "symptom" of corporate consolidation, Robert Reich says.

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Wholesale prices jump 9.7% in January, further evidence of red-hot inflation
FOXBusiness, Megan Henney, 15FEB22

• Wholesale prices accelerated again in January as strong consumer demand and pandemic-related supply chain snarls continued to fuel the highest inflation in decades.
• Economists surveyed by Refinitiv expected producer inflation to rise by 9.1% on an annual basis and 0.5% from the previous month.

Nigeria's Inflation Down in January - NBS
allAfrica, Mary Izuaka, 15FEB22

• Nigeria's consumer price inflation rate fell in January to 15.60 per cent from 15.63 per cent recorded in December 2021, even as food prices continued to surge, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
• The statistics office said the prices of goods and services, measured by the Consumer Price Index, increased by 15.60 per cent (year-on-year) in January 2022.
• "This is 0.87 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in January 2021 (16.47) per cent.

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Bitcoin Holds Above $42,000; SHIB Leads Gains Among Crypto Heavyweights
Forbes, Nina Bambysheva, 14FEB22

• Bitcoin (BTC) is holding above $42,000 after a drop from Thursday highs of $45,785. Some analysts cited mounting fears of Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine as factors behind the weekend selloff. As of 8:20 AM ET, the cryptocurrency is trading at $42,404. 
• The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies currently stands at $1.98 trillion, down from last week’s peak of 2.13 trillion.