Austria Inflation Rises To 4-month High

(RTTNews) - Austria's consumer price inflation accelerated in September to the highest level in four months amid higher fuel and heating oil prices, flash data from Statistics Austria showed on Friday.

The consumer price index climbed 3.6 percent year-over-year in September, faster than the 3.2 percent increase in August. Moreover, this was the highest inflation rate since May, when prices rose 3.7 percent.

The rise in inflation was driven by a 14.5 percent jump in energy prices, led by fuel and heating oil. Meanwhile, inflation based on services eased slightly to 4.2 percent from 4.4 percent, and the price index for food, tobacco, and alcohol grew 1.0 percent versus 0.3 percent in August.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.2 percent.

The EU-harmonized annual inflation rose to 3.5 percent in September from 2.9 percent a month ago. Monthly, the HICP climbed 0.6 percent.