According to the final data of the Statistical Office of the European Union, consumer prices in the eurozone increased by 6.9% in annual terms in March, the lowest pace since February 2022. Thus, inflation in the region slowed down from 8.5% in February. The data coincided with both the preliminary assessment and analysts' expectations. Despite the current slowdown, the inflation rate remains significantly higher than the European Central Bank's target of 2%. At the same time, the CPI Core index (prices excluding food and energy) grew at a record pace in March – by 5.7% year-on-year compared with 5.6% in February. Analysts note that the growth of the CPI Core index accelerated for the fourth month in a row. Energy prices in March decreased for the first time in two years – by 0.9% in annual terms. The growth of prices for industrial goods slowed from 6.8% in February to 6.6%. The increase in prices for food, alcohol and tobacco accelerated to 15.5% from 15%, for services – to 5.1% from 4.8%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.9% compared to February.
