Overview
- Eurostat’s first estimate shows headline HICP rising to 2.2% year over year from 2.1% in October, defying forecasts for an unchanged rate.
- Core inflation stayed at 2.4%, with services inflation edging up to 3.5% and food at 2.5%, while energy prices fell 0.5% from a year earlier.
- The figures are preliminary and subject to revision when Eurostat releases updated data.
- The European Central Bank has kept policy steady for months with the deposit rate at 2.0%, and traders anticipate no move in December.
- Economists say the data sit within the ECB’s comfort zone, with some noting rate-cut speculation could build after year‑end if inflation briefly dips below 2%.