French Inflation Accelerates Sharply in September, Exceeding Forecasts on Energy Costs
| Pair | Now | Since publish |
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| EURUSD | — | — |
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- French CPI rose to 3.0% in September, exceeding forecasts.
- HICP also jumped to 3.4%, driven by energy prices.
- Stronger inflation could impact ECB policy expectations.
France’s preliminary consumer price index (CPI) for September rose to 3.0% year-on-year, accelerating from 2.4% in August and surpassing economists’ expectations of 2.8%. The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), a key metric for the European Central Bank, also saw a significant increase, reaching 3.4% year-on-year compared to 2.6% in the previous month, exceeding the 3.1% forecast. This unexpected surge was primarily driven by a sharp acceleration in energy prices, which climbed to 21.2% year-on-year from 16.7% in August, reflecting higher petroleum and gas costs. Additionally, inflation in services picked up to 2.2% from 1.9%, and food inflation rose to 1.5% from 1.1%, contributing to broader inflationary pressures. These stronger-than-anticipated inflation figures could influence the European Central Bank’s monetary policy outlook.