Euro area HICP inflation rises to 2.9% in December vs. 3% expected

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• Annual HICP inflation in the Euro area climbed to 2.9% in December.
• EUR/USD stays in negative territory slightly above 1.0900.

Inflation in the Euro area, as measured by the change in the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices, rose to 2.9% on a yearly basis in December from 2.4% in November. This reading came in slightly below the market expectation of 3%. On a monthly basis, HICP rose 0.2% as forecast.

The Core HICP, which excludes prices of volatile items such as energy and food, increased 0.4% in December but edged lower to 3.4% from 3.6% on a yearly basis.

Market reaction

EUR/USD stays on the back foot after the data and was last seen losing 0.3% on the day at 1.0910.