The fear that a lower dollar will spark inflation is equally unjustified.

That, in turn, could mean more demand for American exports, helping economic growth here, possibly sparking higher inflation.

A premature cut in interest rates would risk sending the pound into a dive which could spark inflation in Britain, he said.

Since 2002, Kazakhstan has sought to manage strong inflows of foreign currency without sparking inflation.

Its principal challenge in 2001 was to manage strong foreign-currency inflows without sparking inflation.

Such an increase, many economists fear, would spark inflation and slow the economy even further.

In the credit markets, Treasury bond prices fell amid concern that rising oil costs might spark inflation.

Bond traders decided the economy was growing too fast and could spark inflation.

That has renewed the debate over how much growth is possible without sparking inflation.

Analysts have been worried about a possible minimum wage increase, which could put more money into people's pockets, fuel consumer demand and spark inflation.