The consumer prices rose 0.2% in February compared to January, mainly because of “price increses of manufactured products after the winter sales,” according to preliminary estimates released Friday by INSEE .
The consumer prices rose 0.2% in February compared to January, mainly due to the “increase in prices of manufactured products after the winter sales,” according to preliminary estimates released Friday by INSEE .
Inflation, that is to say, the increase in consumer prices over a twelve month period, however, returned to negative territory at -0.2% after + 0.2% in January, rising prices early this year is lower than early 2015.
Initial estimates of INSEE, service prices rise less this year than last year while prices for fresh products and petroleum products would decline again.
“Shifting the school holiday calendar of Area C would weigh on prices of tourism services this year,” the statistical office said in a statement.
The Institute does not publish provisional data for prices excluding tobacco nor the inflation indicator called “underlying”, that is to say, seasonally adjusted and free of cyclical phenomena such as volatility energy prices.
The soft or zero inflation or falling prices, is a virtually universal phenomenon in the eurozone. The European Central Bank is trying, so far unsuccessfully, to revive prices to prevent the region from falling into deflation, a widespread phenomenon of falling prices and wages, amid stagnation or even recession.
