Inflation up slightly in the eurozone, at 2.6 percent in July

Brussels–Eurozone annual inflation is back up, albeit timidly. In July 204, it should stand at 2.6 percent, up slightly from 2.5 percent in June. Nothing like the figures of a year ago: in July 2023, average Eurozone inflation had hit 5.3 percent. However, trends differ across countries, according to the latest flash estimates from Eurostat. The highest rate of increase in the prices of goods and services will be recorded by Belgium, at 5.5 percent, and the lowest by Finland, at 0.6 percent. Italy, however, is below average, at 1.7 percent.

Looking at the main components of inflation, Eurostat predicts that services will have the highest annual rate in July (4.0 percent, up from 4.1 in June), followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco (2.3 percent, up from 2.4 in June), energy (1.3 percent, up from 0.2 in June), and non-energy industrial goods (0.8 percent, up from 0.7 in June).