Catalonia sees inflation rate rise to 2.6% in September

Catalonia's inflation rate rose by 0.2 pp in September, with the annual variation rate standing at 2.6%, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics on Wednesday.

Prices have increased for the fourth consecutive month, although they are still below the Spanish average, which has now risen to 3%, 0.3 pp higher than in August, and the highest it's been all year, levelling February's prices.

Driving the increase in the consumer price index (CPI) most are housing, water, electricity and other fuels, which have increased in price by 5.2%.

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco also saw large jumps, up by 4.1% compared to last year.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw a 2.5% increase in prices, while education costs climbed by 0.9 pp, to reach an annual variation of 3.7%.

On the other hand, restaurants and hotel prices moderated by 1.2 points, down to an increase of 3% compared to last year.

The monthly variation for Spain as a whole was most strongly influenced by drops in tourist packages and transport, while clothing and footwear saw increases up to 2.5% due to the start of the autumn season.