Global inflation trends will be in focus in the days head, after a flurry of central bank decisions last week that saw the "higher for longer" interest rate theme become further entrenched. The key release will be personal consumption expenditures inflation in the US, as well as fresh inflation readings in Europe and Japan. Chinese economic indicators will also be closely watched as investors look for further evidence of a stabilisation in the economy, while on the corporate front we'll also see earnings releases from US consumer heavyweights Costco and Nike. Here in New Zealand, the key release will be the ANZ Business Outlook for September, which will hopefully reflect another improvement in sentiment and a further softening of inflationary indicators. With less than three weeks to go until the election, politics will also be in the spotlight.