Bulgarian Inflation Rises To 5.1% In August

(RTTNews) - Bulgaria's consumer price inflation accelerated for the first time in three months in August amid higher transportation costs, preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute showed on Monday.

The consumer price index, or CPI, climbed 5.1 percent year-over-year in August, faster than the 4.5 percent rise in July.

Inflation based on transportation quickened notably to 22.4 percent from 14.5 percent, and housing and utility costs grew at a stable pace of 5.1 percent. Meanwhile, the annual price growth of food and non-alcoholic beverages eased to 0.6 percent from 1.2 percent, and clothing and footwear prices remained flat.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.6 percent after rebounding 0.8 percent in July.

The EU measure of inflation, the harmonized index of consumer prices, also rose at a faster pace of 5.1 percent annually in August versus a 4.4 percent increase in July.