Italy Inflation Rises To 2.0%, Highest In 18 Months

(RTTNews) - Italy's consumer price inflation increased further in March to the highest level in one-and-a-half years, preliminary data from the statistical office showed on Monday.

Consumer price inflation accelerated to 2.0 percent in March from a 1.6 percent increase in February. Meanwhile, economists had expected a stable increase of 1.6 percent.

Further, this was the highest inflation rate since September 2023, when prices had risen 5.3 percent.

The upward trend in inflation was mainly due to a 1.3 percent rebound in costs for non-regulated energy products compared to a 1.9 percent fall in February.

The price growth in unprocessed food products quickened to 3.3 percent from 2.9 percent. Meanwhile, inflation based on regulated energy products slowed to 27.3 percent from 31.4 percent.

Excluding energy and unprocessed food, core inflation was stable at 1.7 percent.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices moved up 0.4 percent in March versus an expected increase of 0.3 percent.

Inflation, based on the harmonized index of consumer prices, climbed at a faster rate of 2.1 percent in March after a 1.7 percent rise in February. Monthly, the HICP rose 1.6 percent.