German CPI seen lower in March
German headline inflation recorded only a minor decline in March, in line with consensus expectations.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, German CPI dropped to 7.3%, down from 7.8% seen in February, as declines in energy inflation pushed the headline reading lower.
However, core inflation, which excludes the highly volatile energy sector, actually rose to 6%.
"Taken together, despite large falls in headline inflation, these readings will give little encouragement to the ECB, as they make clear that underlying inflation continues to be sticky," said Oxford Economics' Tomas Dvorak.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com