(Reuters) – Consumer prices in France, rose 2.4% year on year in March, statistics office INSEE said on Friday, confirming preliminary data.
Inflation in March was caused mainly by a seasonal increase in manufactured goods prices and a slight increase in tobacco prices, INSEE reported.
Preliminary data had shown France’s EU-harmonised inflation figure standing at 2.4%, matching a forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll.
On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2% in March, having risen 0.9% in February.
Energy prices rose by 3.4% on the year after a 4.3% rise in February, the slower rise reflecting a fall in gas prices and a slowdown in electricity prices.
Food prices in March rose by 1.7%, compared to a 3.6% rise in February, INSEE said, adding that this was the 12th month in a row that food inflation had eased.
Services prices in March rose by 3.0% compared to 3.2% the previous month.
(Reporting by Stéphanie Hamel; editing by Sharon Singleton and Jason Neely)
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