Romania topping EU annual inflation charts for five straight months

For the fifth straight month this June Romania topped the EU annual inflation rate charts with a 4.7 pct advance of consumer prices, as to 4.6 pct registered in May, shows data released on Wednesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). 

EU's annual inflation rate was flat at 2 pct this June, and the figure in the euro area was similar. 

Data released previously by Romania's National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows the annual inflation rate was 5.4 pct in June 2018, slightly lower from the 5.41 pct registered in May, against the backdrop of a 3.86 pct increase in food prices, of non-foods growing 7.82 pct more expensive, and service prices advancing 2.58 pct. 

In early May the National Bank of Romania revised upwards to 3.6 pct from 3.5 pct its inflation forecast for the end of 2018. For the end of 2019 BNR estimates an inflation rate of 3 pct, down 0.1 percentage points from the initially projected 3.1 pct.