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Spain's January inflation speeds up as rest of euro zone's dips

Spain's European Unionharmonised annual inflation rate sped up to 3.5% in January, the greatest level among big eurozone economies, as its growth remains strong, while its neighbours are slowing down.

The figure released by the National Stats Institute (INE) on Thursday validated its flash estimate, marking an increase from 3.3% registered a month previously and was in line with the typical price quote of experts surveyed .

It compares to 3.4% in France, 3.1% in Germany and 0.9% in Italy.

Today's figure reveals the trouble of lowering cost development in the services sector, particularly in an environment where incomes and employment continue to rise, stated Miguel Cardoso, primary economist for Spain at BBVA Research Study.

The typical rate in the euro zone's 20 nations slipped to 2.8% in January from 2.9% in December.

Inflation is cooling quickly

in the bloc as growth is anaemic and lending growth is at best bottoming out after an incredibly weak 2023.

Unlike its neighbours, however, the Spanish economy grew

by a strong 2.5% in 2015

, while Italy and France's grew by less than 1% and Germany's contracted by 0.3%.

The pickup in Spain's inflation was primarily due to a rise in electricity and gas rates, which respectively acquired 9.4%. and 7%. The Spanish government in January ended a decrease on. value-added tax on energy bills approved two years earlier.

Food prices increased 7.4%, though clothing and shoes. prices fell more than 10% in January.

Still, core inflation, which removes out unpredictable fresh. food and energy costs, dropped to 3.6% in the very same period from. 3.8% in December, its least expensive since March 2022.

Bank of Spain Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos singled out. the decline in core inflation, which remained in line with the euro. zone pattern, as good news, and a somewhat lower inflation than. what we were anticipating in December.

Spain's national customer costs increased 3.4% in the 12. months through January from 3.1% in the period through December.

(source: Reuters)