Spain inflation returns to positive territory for first time in 9 mths

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Spain’s Consumer Price Index  (CPI) grew four tenths of a pecentage point to 0.3% in September from a year earlier, returning to positive territory for the first time this year. The last time inflation moved out of negative territory was in December 2015, when the rate was 0%.

According to the data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute, the year-on-year rise in September inflation was due to the increase in fuel prices (gasoil and petrol) and in electricity prices, compared with the decline registered a year ago.

The interanual CPI rate has now been rising for five consecutive months after increasing one tenth of a percentage point in May, two in June, another two in July, five in August and now four in September.

Out of the last 27 months, there has only been a positive CPI rate in four of them. The last month in which prices registered a rate more normal for the Spanish economy was in August 2013, when the CPI stood at 1.5%.

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The Corner
The Corner has a team of on-the-ground reporters in capital cities ranging from New York to Beijing. Their stories are edited by the teams at the Spanish magazine Consejeros (for members of companies’ boards of directors) and at the stock market news site Consenso Del Mercado (market consensus). They have worked in economics and communication for over 25 years.