"The Fed is more worried about the labor market and less concerned about inflation at this point," a Glenmede analyst said.

Having all but tamed inflation, the Federal Reserve is poised to do something Wednesday it hasn’t done in more than four years: Cut its benchmark interest rate, a step that should lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.

The U.S. central bank on Wednesday kicked off an anticipated series of interest rate cuts with a larger-than-usual half-percentage-point reduction that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said was meant to show policymakers' commitment to sustaining a low unemployment rate now that inflation has eased.

The Bank of England on Thursday held interest rates steady, saying it most work to reach its goal of 2% inflation in a sustainable way.

Switzerland’s government slashed its inflation forecasts, a move in line with expectations that the central bank will cut interest rates again when officials meet next week.

The Bank of Canada's governing council was split on the outlook for inflation ahead of its Sept 4 decision to cut rates for the third time in a row, minutes published on Wednesday showed. The BoC said on Sept 4 that it was juggling the impact of two opposing forces on inflation - the persistently high cost of shelter and services on one hand and a weakening economy and rising unemployment on the other.