Jan 15 (Reuters) – Spain’s European Union-harmonised 12-month inflation rate fell to 3.0% in December, down from 3.2% in the period through November, final data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) showed on Thursday.
The INE’s final data was in line with the 3.0% forecast in both the flash reading released two weeks ago and the average estimate from analysts polled by Reuters.
Core inflation, which strips out volatile fresh food and energy prices, was 2.6% in the 12-months through December, same as in the period through November, the INE said.
Spanish national consumer prices also fell 2.9% in the 12 months through December, slightly down from 3.0% in the period through November, and in line with the 2.9% rate initially measured by the INE two weeks ago.
The Economy Ministry said moderation in overall inflation in December is explained mainly by the fall in fuel prices.
It added inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages stood at 3% in the last month of the year, 0.2% higher than in November, mostly due to the base effect on oils and fats.
(Reporting by Gemma Guasch in Gdansk; editing by Jesus Calero)
