Prices in Catalonia set a 0.1% annual inflation in October, while Spain’s was -0.1%

According to figures from the Spanish Institute of Statistics, prices in Catalonia have risen from -0.3% in Octoeber 2013 to an annual inflation rate of 0.1% in October this year, the same as that of September. Inflation has been kept low by falling prices of electricity, while the rising cost of fresh food has prevented negative inflation. In Spain, prices have risen from a -0.6% annual inflation registered 12 months ago to a negative inflation of -0.1%, accumulating four consecutive months of negative rates. The prices of fresh food and non-alcoholic beverages influenced the most the annual price increase in Catalonia, and thus offset the low performance in other sectors that are contributing to keep annual inflation close to zero in Catalonia, and in the negative for the last four months in the whole of Spain.

Fresh frood prices have contributed to a positive annual inflation (by ACN)
Fresh frood prices have contributed to a positive annual inflation (by ACN) / ACN

ACN

November 13, 2014 09:14 PM

Barcelona (ACN).- In Catalonia, prices have risen from -0.3% in Octoeber 2013 to an annual inflation rate of 0.1% in October this year, according to figures from the Spanish Institute of Statistics, the same as the previous month. Electricity tariffs, which dropped this October compared with their rise the same month last year, were most influential in maintaining the low inflation, which reached almost 0% in the last four months. In contrast, the rising prices of fresh food and non-alcoholic beverages have prevented zero or negative inflation. In the whole of Spain, prices have risen from a -0.6% annual inflation registered 12 months ago to a -0.1% negative inflation, one tenth above the -0.2% recorded in September, accumulating four consecutive months of negative rates. The products that most influenced the increasing prices were fresh vegetables, with a positive annual rate of 10.9%, fresh fruit (+2.8%) and preserved fruit and nuts (+4.8%). These last figures take into account all of Spain, as the Spanish Institute of Statistics does not include this detail for Autonomous Communities, such as that of Catalonia. As for the transport and communications sectors, the prices of petrol and rates of mobile phone companies maintained the low inflation rates, with lower prices than last year. However, the greatest influence on keeping inflation rates low in Catalonia and negative in the whole of Spain has been housing, and the electricity tariffs, which fell this October in contrast to their rising the same month last year. Core inflation, which does not take into account the volatile prices of fresh food and petroleum, stood at -0.1% in the whole of Spain, the same as that of September.


Catalan Provinces

By Catalan Provinces, these results differ substantially. While the Barcelona Province has maintained a positive rate of inflation in annual terms, this has been fixed at 0.3% in October, the same rate as that of September, while in the Province of Girona, in north-eastern Catalonia, is located at 0%, thus it has kept the same indicator for the last three months.

Conversely, negative rates of inflation in annual terms have consolidated the Provinces of Lleida and Tarragona, in western and southern Catalonia respectively, accumulating five months of negative rates. In the case of Lleida the annual rate was set in October at -0.3%, while in Tarragona it was -0.4%.