(Teleborsa) – Inflation falls again in April, returning to the same level as January and February (+0.8%). The slight deceleration, explains theISTAT, is mostly affected by the trend in prices of non-regulated energy goods (-13.9% from -10.3% in March) and transport-related services (+2.7% from +4.5%). Food prices also slowed slightly (+2.4% from +2.7%). In contrast, i prices of energy goods regulated markets, despite the significant decline on a cyclical basis (-10.1%), show a clear upward trend profile (-1.3% from -13.8%). The annual growth rate of “shopping cart” prices continues to decline, also in April (+2.3% from +2.6%), while underlying inflation stood at +2.1% (from +2.3%).
In April, the Statistics Institute estimates that the national consumer price index for the entire community (NIC), including tobacco, increased by 0.1% on a monthly basis and by 0.8% on a monthly basis. annual basis (from +1.2% in the previous month); the preliminary estimate was +0.9%.
The slight slowdown in the inflation rate is due to the widening on a trend basis of the decline in the prices of non-regulated energy goods (from -10.3% to -13.9%) and to the deceleration in the prices of transport-related services ( from +4.5% to +2.7%), various services (from +2.3% to +1.8%), non-durable goods (from +2% to +1.5%) and Unprocessed food (from +2.6% to +2.2%) and processed food (from +2.8% to +2.5%); on the other hand, there was an acceleration in the prices of tobacco (from +1.9% to +3.3%), recreational, cultural and personal care services (from +3.2% to +3.8 %) and regulated energy goods (from -13.8% to -1.3%).
Underlying inflationnet of energy and fresh food, decelerates from +2.3% to +2.1% and that net of energy goods only from +2.4% to +2.1%.
The trend dynamics of the prices of goods recorded a slightly larger decline (from -0.2% to -0.6%) and that of services was slightly decelerating (from +3.0% to +2.9%), resulting in an increase in the inflationary differential between the services and goods sectors (+3.5 percentage points, from +3.2 in March).
The prices of food, household and personal care goods slow down on a trend basis (from +2.6% to +2.3%), while those of high-frequency purchase products accelerate (from +2.5% to March % at +2.6%).
The cyclical increase in the general index mostly reflects the growth in prices of recreational, cultural and personal care services (+1.6%), tobacco products (+1.3%) and related services to transport (+0.7%). The effects of these increases were only partially offset by the decrease in the prices of regulated (-10.1%) and non-regulated (-1.8%) energy goods.
Acquired inflation for 2024 it is equal to +0.6% for the general index and +1.6% for the underlying component.
The harmonized index of consumer prices (IPCA) increases by 0.5% on a monthly basis, due to the end of seasonal sales which the NIC does not take into account, and by 0.9 on an annual basis (from +1.2% in March); the preliminary estimate was +1.0%.
The national consumer price index for families of workers and employees (FOI), net of tobacco, recorded a decrease of 0.1% on a monthly basis and an increase of 0.8 on an annual basis.
