German Sentiment at 21-Month High; French Inflation Up

Arthi Gupta
13 Mar, 2012
New York City

German confidence improved to a 21-month high in March. French consumer prices rose and Italian and Spanish inflation in February matched previous estimates. Greek import price inflation soared and Dutch surplus rose in January.

[R]2:30 PM Frankfurt – German confidence improved to a 21-month high in March. French consumer prices rose and Italian and Spanish inflation in February matched previous estimates. Greek import price inflation soared and Dutch surplus rose in January.[/R]

German Sentiment Improves

Germany''s economic sentiment rose 16.9 points to 22.3 in March, the highest level since June 2010, the Centre for European Economic Research said today.

The assessment of the current economic situation declined 2.7 points to the 37.6 points-mark in March.

French Inflation Up, Deficit Widens

French consumer prices rose 0.4% from a month ago in February compared to the 0.4% drop in January, the statistics office Insee showed.

Annual inflation remained steady at 2.3% in February.

The rise of consumer prices for February resulted from the seasonal growth of prices of services, fuel products and fresh food products.

Separately, French current account deficit widened to €4.2 billion in January from €2.8 billion in December, the central bank said today.

Italian Inflation Steady

Italy''s harmonized inflation remained steady at 3.4% in February, the statistics office Istat said today, matching the preliminary estimate released on March 1.

Spanish Inflation Eases

Spain''s EU harmonized inflation eased to 1.9 % in February from 2% in January, final data from the statistics office INE showed today. The annual rate matched the flash estimate published on February 29.

Hungarian Inflation Quickens

Hungary''s consumer price index increased 5.9% annually in February compared to the 5.5% rise in January, according to data from the Central Statistics Office released today.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged higher 0.8% in February from the 2.1% rise in January.

Greek Import Price Inflation Soars

Greece''s import price index increased 8.7% annually in January compared to the 7.2% gain in December, data from the Hellenic Statistics Authority showed.

From a month ago, import prices advanced 2.2% in January, after rising 0.5% in December.

Dutch Surplus Rises

The Dutch trade surplus increased to €4.1 billion in January from €2.9 billion a year ago, data from Central Bureau of Statistics showed.

Exports rose 10% annually to €35.3 billion and imports increased 7% to €31.2 billion in January.