Finland: Inflation slows in December

Consumer prices fell 0.1% in December, contrasting the flat reading for November. The decrease was due to cheaper clothing and footwear, communications, household furnishings, and transport. On the other hand, prices for recreation and culture, and food and non-alcoholic beverages rose. The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP)—which does not include certain factors such as the vehicles tax or fishing and hunting fees—showed a 0.2% price decrease for December, contrasting the 0.1% rise in November.

Inflation decelerated to 1.2% in December from 1.3% in November. HICP inflation, meanwhile, slowed to 1.3% in December from 1.4% in November.

Finland Inflation Forecast

FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panelists expect CPI inflation to average 1.4% in 2019, which is unchanged from last month’s estimate. In 2020, our panelists see inflation averaging 1.6%.