KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • U.S. inflation re-accelerated in March: CPI rose 0.9% month-over-month and 3.3% year-over-year, versus 2.4% YoY in February, driven by an energy index surge of 10.9% MoM and gasoline up 21.2% MoM — the largest monthly gasoline increase since the BLS series began in 1967, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Core inflation stayed sticky: CPI ex-food and energy rose 0.2% MoM and 2.6% YoY, while shelter still climbed 0.3% MoM, per the BLS CPI report.
  • African tech capital formation accelerated early in 2026: $711M disclosed across 80+ deals in Q1 2026, with fintech at $221M, energy and water at $141M, and logistics/transport at $149M, per TechCabal Insights.
  • Africa's funding map remained concentrated: Egypt led at $154M and South Africa at $134M, with Kenya and Nigeria in the next tier; 30+ M&A deals signaled strategic consolidation as the dominant exit path, per TechCabal Insights.
  • IDB Invest closed a $3.5B capital increase, lifting annual financing and mobilization capacity from approximately $13B to roughly $22B over the next decade — reported $13.1B in total 2025 activity including $7.7B mobilized, and has channeled $75B+ into 700+ projects since 2016, per the IDB Invest announcement.

STORIES THAT MATTER

UNITED STATES — March CPI Forces a New "Higher-for-Longer" Reality Check