German inflation slowed to 3.1% in January, stronger than forecast

In January, consumer prices in Germany, according to European Union standards, increased by 3.1% compared to the same period last year. 

Thus, inflation slowed down compared to December, when it was 3.8%. The consensus forecast of analysts expected prices to rise by 3.2% in January.

It was noted that consumer prices in January fell by 0.2% compared to the previous month – the same as in December, when an increase of 0.2% was recorded.

By German standards, prices increased by 2.9% year-on-year and 0.2% month-on-month in January, which is the smallest increase since June 2021. In December, the corresponding figures were 3.7% and 0.1%.

It is important to note that energy prices in Germany decreased by 2.8% in January compared to the same period of the previous year, while in December they increased by 4.1%. Food price growth slowed to 3.8% from December, when it was 4.5%, and service price growth accelerated to 3.4% from the previous 3.2%.

Core inflation, excluding the cost of food and energy, weakened to 3.4% year-on-year in January from 3.5% in December and reached its lowest level since June 2022.