Year-on-year growth in prices slowed in January this year. Inflation measured by the EU's Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) reached 2.5 percent in January compared to 3.4 percent in December 2012. The average annual inflation rate represented 3.6 percent in January, a month-on-month decline by 0.1 percentage points, the SITA newswire wrote.

Prices, however, increased by 0.7 percent from December in monthly terms, after dropping by 0.1 percent between December 2012 and November 2012, the Slovak Statistics Office reported, as quoted by SITA. On an annualised basis, prices for education increased the most in January, by 6.3 percent. Prices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels dropped by 0.3 percent. Food prices drove the monthly increase. Prices for food and soft drinks were 2.2 percent higher in January. The Statistics Office reported a 0.3 percent decline in prices for health-care services and a 1.5 percent fall in prices of clothing and footwear.

Source: SITA

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.