Inflation: Producer Prices Fall Faster than Expected

Prices for industrial products in Germany fell again in April – more clearly than forecast by economists. Energy in particular became cheaper.

The inflation rate in the European Union fell to 2.4 percent in April from 2.5 percent in March, the statistical office Eurostat said in a report on Monday. In the Czech Republic, inflation fell to 1.7 percent from 2.7 percent in March, it said. Eurostat works with harmonised data, which are used for comparison purposes with other EU countries and which differ from the calculation of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO).

Prices for industrial products in Germany fell more sharply than expected in April. While energy became cheaper, many other prices are rising again.

In the eurozone, inflation remained at 2.2 percent in March, down from 2.4 percent a year ago. In the EU as a whole, inflation last year was 2.6 percent, and in the Czech Republic it was 3.1 percent. The Commission also downgraded its economic growth forecast.