Irish inflation rises to 4.9%, first uptick in six months

Reuters

Irish inflation increased at a faster year-on-year pace for the first time in six months in August, rising to 4.9 per cent from 4.6 per cent a month before, a flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) showed on Wednesday.

The HICP rate excluding energy and unprocessed food, known by economists as core inflation and seen as a better gauge of the underlying trend, fell to 4.8 per cent year-on-year from 5 per cent in July and back below the headline rate for the first time since May.

The headline rate increased by 0.5 per cent month-on-month, with energy prices estimated to have risen by 3.4 per cent on the month while food prices were flat on a monthly basis.