By Maria Martinez
BERLIN (Reuters) -German inflation accelerated more than expected in September, rising for a second consecutive month and bringing an end to the disinflationary process of the previous months.
German inflation rose to 2.4% in September, preliminary data from the federal statistics office showed on Tuesday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast EU-harmonised inflation increasing to 2.2% from last month’s 2.1%.
Germany’s core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose to 2.8% in September following three months unchanged at 2.7%.
As Europe’s largest economy, German inflation could give an indication of the developments in euro zone inflation, which is scheduled to be released on Wednesday.
Analysts expect September euro zone inflation to rise to 2.2% from last month’s 2.0%, which is the European Central Bank’s target.
The ECB left interest rates unchanged this month, remaining upbeat on the economy and indicating that it is in no hurry to cut rates again.
(Reporting by Maria Martinez and Ludwig BurgerEditing by Miranda Murray)
