According to the report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in March this year industrial producer prices rose 0.1 percent in the euro area and by 0.2 percent in the European Union member states (EU-28), month on month. As compared to March 2017, in March 2018 industrial producer prices rose by 2.1 percent in the euro area and by 2.4 percent in the EU-28.
In March this year compared with February, prices in the energy sector decreased by 0.1 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, while prices of intermediate goods, durable goods and non-durable goods rose by 0.2 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, all on month-on-month basis. Prices of capital goods increased by 0.1 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, month on month.
In March, among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month increases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden (all 0.6%), while the price decreases were observed in Spain (-0.9%) and Portugal (-0.8%), all on month-on-month basis.
In March this year as compared to March 2017, prices in the energy sector increased by 3.9 percent in the euro area and by 4.6 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods rose by 2.2 percent in the euro area and by 2.5 percent in the EU-28, year on year. Prices of both durable and non-durable goods increased by 0.9 percent in the euro area and by 1.1 percent in the EU-28, on year-on-year basis. Prices of capital goods rose by one percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, year on year.
In the given month, among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year increases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Estonia (7.3%), Bulgaria (4.8%), and Latvia and Sweden (both 4%), while the largest price decreases were observed in Cyprus (-2.0%), Ireland and Luxembourg (both -1.6%), and Greece (-0.2%), all on year-on-year basis.