Serbia: Inflation climbs to six-month high in February
According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, consumer prices climbed 0.7% over the previous month in February, accelerating from the 0.4% increase logged in January. The uptick was chiefly driven by higher prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco, whereas lower prices for clothing and footwear partly offset the rise.
Inflation rose to 2.4% in February from 2.1% in January, marking a six-month high and edging closer to the midpoint of the Central Bank’s target range of 3.0% plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Core inflation, which excludes prices for volatile items such as food, energy, alcohol and cigarettes, ticked up to 1.3% in February from 1.2%. Annual average inflation meanwhile inched up to 2.1% in February from 2.0% in January.