The European Statistical Office (Eurostat) published the leading inflation data for the Eurozone for December.
Accordingly, the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the Eurozone, which was 2.2 percent in November, increased to 2.4 percent in December. CPI was 0.4 percent on a monthly basis in December.
Market expectation was that annual inflation would be 2.4 percent in December.
Core inflation in the Eurozone was 2.7 percent on an annual basis in December.
When we look at the main components of inflation, the highest price increase was seen in the services sector with 4 percent. This was followed by food, alcohol and tobacco products with 2.7 percent, non-energy industrial products with 0.5 percent and energy products with 0.1 percent.
Inflation was 4.5 percent in Croatia, 4.4 percent in Belgium, 4.1 percent in Estonia and 3.9 percent in the Netherlands in December.
Annual inflation in Germany and Spain was 2.8 percent in December, 1.8 percent in France and 1.4 percent in Italy.
The European Central Bank (ECB) aims for inflation to be 2 percent in the medium term.
