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Spanish olive oil makers mull US investment, rush exports to avoid tariffs

One of Spain's leading olive oil producers is pondering an expansion into the U.S. in response to the tariff war unleashed by Washington, just as its peers are rushing out exports while the bulk of new tariffs are still on hold. Spain produces about 40% of the world's olive oil and sends about 180,000 metric tons a year to the United States. "In the medium to long term, we may have to make more investments in the United States, which ultimately are investments that will be made there instead of Europe," said Antonio Luque, the CEO of Dcoop, one of the two partners behind the top-selling U.S. brand Pompeian.

Kashkari: Fed should intervene only reluctantly, still needs to squash inflation - CNBC

The Federal Reserve should intervene in markets only reluctantly and in a true emergency, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said on Friday in the most explicit comments yet from a Fed official about responding to the volatility that has torn across markets in response to President Donald Trump's tariff barrage. "The Fed or Treasury stepping in should be done reluctantly, should be done when it is only truly needed," said Kashkari, who as a Treasury official during the 2007-09 financial crisis led the Troubled Asset Relief Program. "I think we should be very cautious about taking moves that could demonstrate a weakening, which I don't think is there, to the Fed's commitment to getting inflation down."

US producer inflation muted before import tariffs blast

U.S. producer prices notched their first monthly decline in nearly 1-1/2 years in March as gasoline prices plunged, but tariffs on imported goods are expected to significantly boost inflation in the coming months. Trade tensions have escalated between the United States and China, the main source of imports, making last month's producer price index report published by the Labor Department on Friday dated. The impact of tariffs is already evident in surging prices for steel mill products.

US wholesale inflation fell last month but trade war threatens to reverse that trend

U.S. wholesale prices fell last month in another sign that inflationary pressures are easing. The producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — fell 0.4% from February, first drop since October 2023, the Labor Department said Friday. Compared with a year earlier, producer prices rose 2.7%, down from a 3.2% year-over-year gain in February and much lower than the 3.3% economists had forecast.