Inflation in Greece recorded a slight decline in February, reaching 3% from 3.1% in January, according to Eurostat data. While the decrease is minimal, it suggests a gradual easing of price pressures, though inflation remains a concern.
Across the eurozone, inflation also edged lower, falling to 2.4% year-on-year in February from 2.5% in January. This marks the first decline after four consecutive months of increases, but the drop was not as significant as analysts had anticipated, as they expected a decrease to 2.3%.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and unprocessed food prices, also dipped slightly to 2.6% from 2.7%. A narrower measure that also removes alcohol and tobacco prices followed the same trend, settling at 2.6%, down from 2.7% the previous month.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ
In Germany, inflation remained unchanged in February at 2.8%, the same level as in January. This stability underscores the challenges faced by the European Central Bank (ECB) as it considers potential interest rate cuts. The ECB is set to meet this week, with expectations that it will discuss a possible 25-basis-point reduction in the deposit rate to 2.5%. Analysts had forecast a slight decrease in German inflation to 2.7%, but the actual figures did not support these predictions.
Meanwhile, in France, inflation fell to its lowest level in four years. Consumer prices rose just 0.9% year-on-year in February, down from 1.8% in January, marking a sharp slowdown. The decline was steeper than expected, as analysts had projected an increase of 1.1%.
