Inflation rises four tenths and closes the month at 3.2% due to the normalization of VAT on electricity. The price of food registered its lowest rate in more than two years in March, reaching 4.3%.
The main person responsible for the increase in general inflation has been fuel, which has not stopped rising week after week practically since the beginning of the year. María Jesús Fernández, senior analyst at Funcas, expected that the advance would be smaller, especially when one considers that food, the great factor that was bleeding consumers dry, has been moderating. Beyond the monthly fluctuations, what worries analysts most is the cost of services - such as bars and accommodation - which continue to put pressure on the inflation rate, she says. The marked decrease in the shopping basket is due to cheaper prices of legumes and vegetables, which fell 9.2%, more than 13 points less than in the previous period. Against this rebalancing is olive oil, which holds the title of the food and product of the entire price index that has appreciated the most: 70%.