Italy: Inflation edges down in May
Consumer prices rose 0.1% month-on-month in May, following April’s 0.2% increase, according to provisional data released by the National Statistical Institute (ISTAT) on 31 May. The figure reflected higher prices for unprocessed food, and for non-regulated energy products, which more than offset lower prices for services related to transport—due to the end of the Easter holidays—and of services related to communication. Meanwhile, inflation came in at 0.9% in May, down from April’s 1.1%.
Core consumer prices, which exclude more volatile categories such as unprocessed food and energy, were unchanged from the previous month in May, following April’s 0.6% increase. Meanwhile, core inflation inched down from April’s 0.6% to 0.5%, while harmonized inflation declined to 0.9% from April’s 1.1%.