Italy’s EU measure of inflation, or HICP, remained unchanged as expected in April, preliminary figures from the statistical office ISTAT showed Thursday.
The harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, showed no variations in April, the same as in the previous month. The figure was also matched with economists’ expectations. In February, prices had risen 0.1 percent.
Month-on-month, the HICP, rose 0.5 percent in April, in line with economists’ expectations, following a 2.1 percent climb in March. It was the third consecutive monthly increase.
The consumer price index also remained unchanged in April from a year ago, after a 0.1 percent slight drop in the prior month. Economists had forecast prices to fall again by 0.1 percent.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.3 percent in April, exceeding economists’ expectations for a 0.2 percent climb. In March, prices edged up 0.1 percent.
Separately, ISTAT reported that overall producer prices fell 2.4 percent annually in March, slower than February’s 2.5 percent decline. Month-on-month, producer prices remained flat versus a 0.6 percent hike in the prior month.
Producer prices in the domestic market dipped 3.1 percent annually and dropped 0.1 percent monthly in March. Foreign market prices decreased 0.1 in March from the previous year, while climbed 0.1 percent from the prior month
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