Italy’s annual inflation rate was 0.8% in March, compared to 0.5% in February, ISTAT said on Tuesday. The March inflation figure was down 0.1 of a percentage point from the national statistics agency’s preliminary estimate of 0.9%, ANSA reported. It said the acceleration in the inflation rate was down to a slowdown in the reduction of unprocessed food prices, which were down 0.4% from minus 3.2, and big price rises for tobacco was up 2.2% and transport services 2.5%. In month-on-month terms, the consumer price index was up 0.3% with respect to February. Meanwhile, the Bank of Italy said on Friday economic growth and industrial output probably slowed during the first three months of the year compared with the end of 2017. Italy’s economy, the eurozone’s third biggest, probably expanded 0.2% in the first quarter versus the previous period, compared with a 0.3% gain during the final quarter of last year. Industrial production was virtually flat during the first three months of this year, the bulletin said, after expanding 0.9% versus the previous quarter at the end of last year.
