ROME (Reuters) -Italian EU-harmonised consumer prices (HICP) fell a preliminary 1.0% month-on-month in July, with annual inflation slightly decelerating to 1.7%, data showed on Thursday.
The reading for the year-on-year rate was just above a median forecast in a Reuters survey of 17 analysts, which pointed to an increase of 1.6%, whereas the monthly rate was in line with the Reuters consensus.
Official statistics agency ISTAT also reported that the main domestic price index (NIC), was up 0.4% on the month and up 1.7% annually in July, the same year-on-year rate as in June.
The HICP monthly decline was due to the summer sales, not taken into account by NIC index.
Core inflation (net of fresh food and energy) was running at 2.1% year-on-year on the HICP index in July, stable from the month before.
(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli, graphic by Stefano Bernabei, editing by Giselda Vagnoni)
