Italy's consumer price inflation remained steady in May, following a decline in the previous month, according to preliminary data released by the statistical office ISTAT on Friday.
The data revealed that consumer prices saw an annual increase of 0.8 percent in May, consistent with the figures reported for April. This increase met the expectations of various economic analysts.
On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices increased by 0.2 percent in May, compared to a 0.1 percent rise in April.
Core inflation, which excludes the volatile prices of energy and unprocessed food, slightly eased to 2.0 percent from 2.1 percent.
The annual price growth of processed food products moderated to 2.1 percent from the previous 2.5 percent, while non-food goods saw a rise of 2.3 percent in comparison to April's 2.2 percent. The data also showed a notable 13.5 percent decline in the prices of non-regulated energy products.
Inflation, measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), stood at 0.8 percent on an annual basis in May, down from a 0.9 percent rise in April. On a monthly basis, the HICP increased by 0.2 percent.
