French Inflation Eases More Than Expected

(RTTNews) - France's inflation eased more than expected in January, preliminary data from the statistical office INSEE revealed on Tuesday.

The consumer price index logged a 0.3 percent annual rise in January, slower than the 0.8 percent increase seen in December. Inflation was expected to slow moderately to 0.6 percent.

Similarly, EU harmonized inflation softened to 0.4 percent from 0.7 percent in the previous month. The rate was well below forecast of 0.6 percent.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices dropped 0.3 percent and the harmonized index of consumer prices slid 0.4 percent in January.