Industrial inflation deepens its fall in March to 8.2% and accumulates 13 months of declines

MADRID, 25 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Industrial prices fell by 8.2% last March compared to the same month in 2023, reducing by three tenths the decrease recorded last February, as reported this Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

With the year-on-year decrease in March, inflation in the industrial sector has had thirteen months of negative rates after March 2023 put an end to a period of 26 consecutive months of increases, in which it recorded double-digit positive rates for more of 20 months.

The evolution of industrial prices in February is a consequence of the decline experienced by non-durable consumer goods, which cut its rate by six tenths, to 4.1%, the lowest since October 2021, due to the increase in Prices for processing and preserving meat and manufacturing meat products were lower than in the same month of 2023.

At the opposite extreme, energy increased its interannual rate five tenths, up to -24.6%, due to the prices of gas production; Pipeline distribution of gaseous fuels and oil refining decreased less than in March 2023.

Likewise, intermediate goods, which presented an interannual rate of -4.9%, five tenths above that of February, as a result of the increase in prices for the manufacture of basic chemical products, nitrogenous compounds, fertilizers, plastics and synthetic rubber in primary forms and, to a lesser extent, the production of precious metals and other non-ferrous metals, which fell in the same month of the previous year.

The annual variation rate of industrial prices excluding energy closed March at -0.1% and was 8.1 points above the general index.