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Slight Euro Zone Inflation Confirmed as Food Prices Surge | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Euro sign landmark outside the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Sept 2, 2013. Photo: Reuters


Slight Euro Zone Inflation Confirmed as Food Prices Surge

by | Aug 19, 2016 | Business |

Slight Euro Zone Inflation Confirmed as Food Prices Surge

London-A modest uptick in euro zone inflation in July was confirmed by data on Friday which showed food prices surging over the year, although overall price indices still fell in 12 of the 19 member states.

Euro zone prices rose 0.2 percent year-on-year, Eurostat, which is the European Union’s statistical arm said, confirming its initial estimate of two weeks ago. Month-on-month, prices fell 0.6 percent from June.

The annual rate remains well short of the European Central Bank’s target of just below 2 percent. Until the annual figure posted a 0.1 percent rise in June, prices had not risen in the 19 countries using the euro since January.

Core inflation, which excludes the most volatile components of unprocessed food and energy, was unchanged at 0.8 percent in July. The narrower inflation indicator, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco products, rose an unchanged 0.9 percent. Both were the same as initial estimates.

Energy prices fell heavily again in July, by 6.7 percent after a 6.4 percent annual drop in June and 8.1 percent recorded in May. Month-on-month, they were 1.0 percent lower.

Prices for services, the biggest component of the euro zone economy, rose 1.2 percent year-on-year, but the biggest increase was in food, where unprocessed foodstuffs rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in July, nearly double the 1.5 percent seen in June.

Prices of fruit were 6.4 percent higher than in July last year and vegetables 5.6 percent more expensive. A 1.6 percent annual increase in prices set by restaurants and cafes was the biggest contributor to the overall euro zone inflation figure.

Nonetheless, smaller economies in the east continued to lead the dozen euro zone states which posted negative annual rates in July, notably Bulgaria and Croatia, where prices fell 1.1 percent on the year, and Slovakia, where they were down 0.9 percent. Belgium, with inflation of 2.0 percent, and Sweden, with 1.1 percent, led those economies where prices rose.

Meanwhile, the euro zone’s current account surplus narrowed for a second straight month in June, data from the European Central Bank showed on Thursday.

After accounting for the number of working days and seasonal effects, the currency bloc recorded a surplus of 28.2 billion euros in June from 31.8 billion euros in May and 36.5 billion euros in April, the data showed.