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In March 2024, it is estimated that the national consumer price index for the entire community (Nic), including tobacco, will record no cyclical change and an increase of 1.2% on an annual basis, from +0.8% in the previous month; the preliminary estimate was +1.3%. Istat communicates this, adding that the inflation acquired for 2024 is equal to +0.5% for the general index and +1.2% for the underlying component.
In March the shopping cart slows down at +2.6%
The “shopping cart” is downsized in March. According to what Istat communicates, the prices of food, household and personal care goods are slowing down on a trend basis: they have in fact gone from +3.4% in February to +2.6%. Furthermore, the price lists of high-frequency purchasing products also fell (from +2.8% in February to +2.5%). Similar trend also for food goods: ISTAT has in fact detected a slowdown compared to a year earlier for the prices of unprocessed food goods (from +4.4% to +2.6%), of tobacco (from +2 .6% to +1.9%) and processed food goods (from +3.4% to +2.8%).
Decline in unregulated energy assets
Istat specifies that the acceleration in the cost of living in March is mainly due to the attenuation on a trend basis of the decline in the prices of unregulated energy goods (from -17.2% to -10.3%) and regulated ones (from -18 .4% to -13.8%). Support for inflation is also due to the acceleration in the prices of transport-related services (from +3.8% to +4.5%). On the other hand, the prices of unprocessed food goods (from +4.4% to +2.6%), tobacco (from +2.6% to +1.9%) and processed food goods (from +2.6% to +1.9%) recorded a slowdown. from +3.4% to +2.8%). In March, “underlying inflation”, net of energy and fresh food, remained stable at +2.3%, while that net of energy goods alone decelerated from +2.6% to +2.4%. The trend dynamics of the prices of goods recorded a less marked decline (from -0.9% to -0.2%) and that of services was accelerating slightly (from +2.9% to +3.0%). The cyclical stability of the general index is affected by the opposing dynamics of various components: on the one hand, the growth in prices of transport-related services also due to seasonal factors (+1.5%), of regulated energy goods (+0 .7%) and non-durable goods (+0.4%); on the other, the decrease in the prices of unregulated energy goods (-1.9%) and unprocessed food goods (-0.8%). The acquired inflation for 2024 is equal to +0.5% for the general index and +1.2% for the underlying component. The harmonized index of consumer prices (HIPC) increases by 1.2% on a monthly basis, due to the end of the seasonal sales which the Nic does not take into account, and by 1.2% on an annual basis (from +0, 8% in February) against a preliminary estimate of +1.3%. The national consumer price index for families of workers and employees (FOI), net of tobacco, recorded an increase of 0.1% on a monthly basis and 1.2% on an annual basis. And in the first quarter of 2024, inflation, measured by the HICP, decreases for families with lower spending capacity while increasing for those with higher spending levels (-0.4% and +1.7% respectively).
