According to the report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in April this year industrial producer prices remained stable in the euro area while they increased by 0.1 percent in the European Union member states (EU-28), month on month. As compared to April last year, in April this year industrial producer prices rose by two percent in the euro area and by 2.4 percent in the EU-28.
In April this year compared with March, prices in the energy sector decreased by 0.4 percent in the euro area and were up by 0.3 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods grew by 0.2 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, month on month. Prices of non-durable goods remained unchanged both in the euro area and in the EU-28 on month-on-month basis. Prices of capital goods and durable goods rose by 0.1 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, all on month-on-month basis.
In the given month, among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month increases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Greece (+1.8%), Latvia (+1.1%), and Spain and the United Kingdom (both +0.7%). The largest decreases were observed in Estonia (-1.4%), France and Italy (both -0.7%), on month-on-month basis.
In April this year as compared to April 2017, prices in the energy sector rose by 3.8 percent in the euro area and were up by 5.3 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods increased by 2.1 percent in the euro area and by 2.6 percent in the EU-28, and the prices of non-durable goods increased by 0.5 percent in the euro area and by 0.8 percent in the EU-28, all year on year. Prices of capital goods moved up by one percent in the euro area and in the EU-28, while the prices of durable goods increased by 0.9 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, all on year-on-year basis.
Among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year increases were recorded in Estonia (+5.6%), the United Kingdom (+4.7%), Latvia (+4.6%) and Slovakia (+4.3%). A year-on-year decrease were observed in Ireland (-1.9%), Cyprus (-1.8%) and Luxembourg (-1.3%).