BY ELAINE KURTENBACH
Stocks retreated Wednesday in Europe and Asia and oil prices rose ahead of a key report on U.S. inflation that could sway the Federal Reserve’s future decisions on interest rates.
Germany’s DAX shed 0.5% to 15,636.61 and the CAC 40 in Paris declined 0.5% to 7,213.81. In London, the FTSE 100 edged 0.1% lower, to 7,518.23.
The futures for the S&P 500 and Dow industrials were virtually unchanged as investors awaited the latest monthly update on prices that U.S. consumers are paying across the country. Economists expect it to show that prices were broadly 3.6% higher last month than a year earlier.
Thursday will bring reports about inflation at the wholesale level and sales at U.S. retailers. Strong spending by U.S. households has helped keep the U.S. economy humming, but it could also be encouraging companies to keep trying to raise their prices further.
Stocks have been
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