According to preliminary estimates by the German Federal Bureau of Statistics (Destatis), inflation in the country in October in annual terms accelerated to 4.5% from 4.1% a month earlier. This growth has been a record since October 1993. On a monthly basis, consumer prices in Germany rose 0.5%. Monthly inflation rates were in line with analysts' forecasts, but annual inflation was expected at 4.4%. At the same time, consumer prices in the country according to EU standards (harmonized consumer price index) in October accelerated growth to 4.6% from 4.1% on an annualized basis, and on a monthly basis – to 0.5% (from 0.3%). Analysts had forecast rates at 4.5% and 0.4%, respectively. The department noted that there are a number of reasons for the high inflation rates observed since July 2021. Here is the basic effect of the price reduction in 2020, and a temporary reduction in VAT rates, as well as a sharp drop in prices for petroleum products.
