High energy prices caused a sharp acceleration in French inflation in September, data showed today.
The rise in the annual inflation rate from August's 2.0 per cent was lower than economists' expectations of a 2.2 per cent reading and was driven by a 15.2 per cent leap in energy prices from a year ago, national statistics office INSEE said.
Consumer prices jumped 0.4 per cent from the previous month and 2.4 per cent from a year ago.
The French data confirms the impact that higher oil prices are having on inflation around the euro zone.
The inflation rate in the 12-member bloc rose to 2.5 per cent in September from 2.2 per cent in August, according to a flash estimate released by the European Union statistics office, which is due to publish final figures on October 18th.
That compares with the ECB's target of keeping inflation close to, but below, 2 per cent.