Croatia Inflation Slows For First Time In 5 Months

(RTTNews) - Consumer price inflation in Croatia eased for the first time in five months in February as services costs and prices of food grew at slower, yet high, rates, preliminary data from the statistical office showed on Monday.

The consumer price index rose 3.6 percent year-on-year after a 4.0 percent increase in January, the flash estimates showed. Inflation slowed for the first time since November.

Services inflation weakened to 5.7 percent from 6.3 percent. Energy prices rose 3.4 percent, which was slower than the 4.5 percent increase in January. Prices in the food, beverages and tobacco group rose 4.9 percent after a 4.7 percent increase in the previous month. Non-food goods excluding energy registered a 0.2 percent gain in prices.

The CPI fell 0.2 percent from the previous month, when they edged up 0.1 percent. The harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, rose 4.7 percent year-on-year in February, slowing from 5.0 percent logged in January.

The EU measure of inflation was unchanged from the previous month when it rose 0.2 percent.