German Inflation at 2.1%, French Current Account Deficit Widens

Arthi Gupta
12 Apr, 2011
New York City

European online recruitment activity improved in March. German inflation confirmed at 2.1% in March and economic sentiment deteriorated in April. French current account deficit widened in February. Spanish annual inflation remained unchanged at 3.6% in March.

[R]1:30 PM Frankfurt – European online recruitment activity improved in March. German inflation confirmed at 2.1% in March and economic sentiment deteriorated in April. French current account deficit widened in February. Spanish annual inflation remained unchanged at 3.6% in March.[/R]

European Online Recruitment Activity Improves

European online recruitment improved for the second straight month in March, the Monster Worldwide said on Tuesday.

The Monster Employment Index for Europe rose to 131 in March from 125 in February. On a yearly basis, the index rose 26% in March, the fastest growth in the current economic cycle.

French Current Account Deficit Widens

France''s current account deficit widened to €5.2 billion in February from the revised €4.1 billion in January, the Bank of France said today.

The deficit in goods trade increased to €7.3 billion in February from €6.5 billion in January. The surplus in services fell to €1.2 billion in February from €1.4 billion in January.

German Economic Sentiment Deteriorates

Germany''s economic sentiment deteriorated at a faster-than-expected pace in April, results of a key survey showed on Tuesday.

The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany dropped to 7.6 in April from March''s 14.1, the Centre for European Economic Research or ZEW said.

German Inflation Remains Flat

German consumer price inflation in March was unchanged at 2.1% from February, final estimate from the Federal Statistics Office showed today.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices grew an unrevised 0.5% in March, also unchanged from February.

Hungarian Inflation Quickens

Inflation in Hungary rose to 4.5% in March from 4.1% in February, data from the Hungarian Central Statistics Office showed on Tuesday.

During the month, food inflation rose for a third straight month in March by climbing to 8.6% from 7.4% in February.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices advanced 1.1% in March compared to the 0.4% increase in February.

Spanish Annual Inflation Stagnates

Spain’s annual inflation was 3.6% in March, the same rate of increase as in February, final data from the statistics office INE showed today. The statistics office confirmed the flash estimate released on March 30.

On a monthly basis, inflation rose to 0.7% from 0.1% in February.

Sweden Annual Inflation Rises

Sweden annual inflation rose to 2.9% in March from 2.5% in February, Statistics Sweden said.

Seasonally normal price increases for clothes and footwear and higher interest costs for owner occupied housing were the major factors that contributed to the acceleration.

Portuguese Inflation Up

Portugal''s annual inflation accelerated in March, data released by Statistics Portugal showed. The consumer price index increased 4.04% annually in March as against 3.53% recorded in February.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 1.61% in March compared to the flat reading in February.