LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – World stocks were pinned down on Thursday as investors awaited U.S. data expected to offer clues on inflation, with further pressures widely seen as sparking a scaling back of central banks’ giant stimulus packages. The Euro STOXX 600 lost 0.2%, with German shares down 0.5% and London’s main index making slim losses. France gained 0.1%. Losses of around 0.2% in energy stocks were offset by 1.2% gains in the mining sector, while British bank HSBC gained 0.1% after a move to exit U.S. retail banking to focus on Asia. Wall Street futures gauges pointed to losses of around 0.2%. In focus was U.S. gross domestic product and jobless claims numbers expected later in the day. Investors also held back major bets before the monthly U.S. personal consumption report, due on Friday. “We still believe inflation will not be transient, but will persist – this is where I think we differ with central banks,” said Jeremy Gatto, a portfolio manager at Unigestion. Nick Note: Listen to the tape. Wall Streeters are desperately clinging to their historic models… scratching their ass trying to figure it out.The problem is their is no historic model for a pandemic. This is the first one in modern times. And this time their is a vaccine…. One thing and one thing only should drive the narrative. Its the biggest boom time economy ever. Driven by the consumer who has been set free after being caged for over a year. Financed by the biggest pile of cash in the hands of the consumer (70% of the US economy) ever. And a mountain of consumer credit at the cheapest rates ever.