Italy: Inflation at over 3-year low in March
Consumer prices inched up 0.1% month-on-month in February, which confirmed preliminary estimates and followed February’s sharper 0.3% increase, according to revised data released by the National Statistical Institute (ISTAT) on 15 April. The figure mainly reflected higher prices for food including alcohol and tobacco, which more than offset lower prices for non-regulated energy products. Meanwhile, inflation fell from 0.3% in February to an over 3-year low of 0.1% in March, mainly due to a downturn in prices of non-regulated energy products.
Core consumer prices, which exclude more volatile categories such as unprocessed food and energy, increased 0.3% from the previous month in March, contrasting February’s 0.1% decline. Meanwhile, core inflation was stable at February’s 0.7%, while harmonized inflation ticked down from 0.2% in February to 0.1% in March.