Consumer prices up 0.5% from March
Flash estimate is best figure in months, yet well below the acceptable rate of 1%
Inflation in Spain rose by 0.4% in April from a year earlier, and was up 0.5% from March, when consumer prices fell 0.1%, according to a flash estimate released on Wednesday by the national statistics office INE.
While both figures are welcomed by authorities, they are still well below the 1% considered an acceptable rate of inflation. Consumer prices fell last month and in October of last year, fueling speculation about the risk of deflation, which could delay economic recovery.
The April uptick is mostly due to the recently ended Easter holiday, which typically brings a rise in prices, and also to stable electricity and fuel prices, compared with a price drop in 2013.
If the estimate is confirmed a few weeks from now, it will represent the first rise in consumer prices since December, and the first time that inflation has grown beyond 0.3% since September 2013.
