German inflation inches higher in March: flash estimate

[FRANKFURT] Inflation in Germany edged higher in March, with rising prices for food, services and rents offsetting falling energy prices, a preliminary flash estimate showed on Wednesday.

Germany's national inflation yardstick, the consumer price index, rose by 0.3 per cent in March after zero per cent in February, the federal statistics office Destatis said.

And using the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) - the barometer used by the European Central Bank - the inflation rate stood at plus 0.1 per cent in March, compared with minus 0.2 per cent in February.

The inflation data were a preliminary flash estimate calculated from consumer price data for six of Germany's 16 regional states.

Final data based on all 16 states were scheduled to be published on April 12.

AFP