Inflation continues to rise and accelerates for the ninth consecutive month.
According to preliminary estimates, in March 2022 the national consumer price index for the whole community (NIC), before tobacco, recorded an increase of 1.2% on a monthly basis and of 6.7% on an annual basis (from + 5.7% the previous month).
This was announced by Istat, specifying that such a level of inflation had not been recorded since July 1991. Also this month, "the prices of non-regulated energy goods are supporting further growth".
Istat affirms it.
In March, "core inflation", net of energy and fresh food, accelerates from + 1.7% to + 2.0% and that net of energy goods alone from + 2.1% to + 2.5%.
Istat specifies this, highlighting that the inflation acquired for 2022 is equal to + 5.3% for the general index and + 1.6% for the core component.
Istat also specifies that, according to preliminary estimates, the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) increases by 2.6% on a monthly basis, mainly due to the end of the winter sales, which the NIC does not take into account, and 7.0% on an annual basis (from + 6.2% in February).
Returning to the details of inflationary dynamics: in March, the acceleration of inflation on a trend basis is also due this month mainly to the prices of energy goods (whose growth goes from + 45.9% in February to + 52.9%) , in particular to those of the non-regulated component (from + 31.3% to + 38.7%), and, to a lesser extent, to the prices of both food and processed goods (from + 3.1% to +4.0 %) both unprocessed (from + 6.9% to + 8.0%) and those of Durable goods (from + 1.2% to + 1.9%);
the prices of regulated energy goods continue to be almost double those recorded in the same month last year (+ 94.6%, as in February).
Services relating to transport, on the other hand, recorded a slowdown (from + 1.4% to + 1.0%).
On an annual basis, the prices of goods accelerated significantly (from + 8.6% to + 10.2%), while those of services remained stable (+ 1.8 %%);
therefore the negative inflation differential between the latter and the prices of goods widens (from -6.8 percentage points in February to -8.4).
The cyclical increase in the general index is mainly due to the prices of non-regulated energy goods (+ 8.9%) and to a lesser extent of processed food goods (+ 1.0%), of transport services (+ 0.9%), Durable Goods (+ 0.7%) and Unprocessed Food (+ 0.6%).
(HANDLE).