Consumer price inflation in Italy eased to its lowest level in nine months, primarily due to falling energy costs, according to the latest data released by the statistical office on Wednesday. The September estimates, published earlier, indicated this trend.
Inflation in consumer prices decelerated to 0.7 percent in September, down from 1.1 percent in August, in line with initial estimates released on September 30. This represents the weakest inflation rate since December 2023, when prices had increased by 0.6 percent.
A significant factor in this slowdown was an 11.0 percent decrease in non-regulated energy products. Annual price growth in regulated energy products also slowed, registering at 10.4 percent compared to 14.3 percent previously.
Additionally, reduced prices for certain services, such as recreational, cultural, personal care, and transport services, contributed to the moderation in price increases, with inflation dropping to 4.0 percent from 4.5 percent.
Conversely, prices for unprocessed food items saw a rebound, increasing by 0.3 percent after a 0.5 percent decline in August.
On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices decreased by 0.2 percent in September, consistent with earlier estimates.
Inflation, measured by the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP), eased to 0.7 percent in September from 1.2 percent in the preceding month. This recent rise was revised down from an initial estimate of 0.8 percent. Compared to the preceding month, the HICP saw an increase of 1.2 percent.
