There are some timid signs of recovery on the front ofinflation. This morning Istat released the data relating to the consumer prices for the month of February reporting a 0,4% increase compared to January. Compared with the same period last year, the Nic consumer price index fell by 0,1%. In January, the index had recorded -0,6% on the year, the lowest trend figure since September 1959.
It must be pointed out that theprice increase recorded in February is the highest since August 2013 to date.
Istat underlines that the attenuation of the decrease on an annual basis of the general index is due in the first place “to the marked recovery in the prices of fresh vegetables (+10,8%, from -1,7% in January); the acceleration of the growth trend in the prices of services relating to transport (+1,4%, from +0,3% in January), the trend reversal of those of tobacco (+3,7%, from - 0,4% in January) and the partial reduction of the annual decline in energy prices”.
Furthermore, core inflation, calculated net of energy goods and fresh foodstuffs, rose to +0,6% from +0,3% in January. Net of energy goods alone, inflation rises to +0,7% from +0,3% in the previous month.
