Norway: Inflation accelerates in December
Consumer prices were unchanged in December last year from the previous month, marking a slowdown compared to the modest increases seen in the prior months. According to Statistics Norway, the price standstill in December was in part due to higher prices for furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance being compensated by lower prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The inflation rate increased to 1.6% in December—higher than the 1.1% rate recorded in November—and moved closer to the Central Bank’s target of 2.5%. On the other hand, annual average inflation decelerated to 1.9% in December from 2.0% in in the previous month.
The month-on-month change in core consumer prices—which excludes taxes, fees and energy prices—was 0.1% in December, a contrast to the 0.3% contraction in November. Meanwhile, core inflation ticked up to 1.4% from 1.0% a month earlier.