Annual inflation remains stable at 6.8%

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC), prices increased by 1% between July and August. Overall, they remained relatively stable, and were mainly boosted by the end of the summer sales, which caused prices for clothing and shoes to soar by 13.7%. "The return of products on sale to their normal price level in July explains the strong monthly increase," STATEC writes in its report, adding that "compared with August of the previous year, prices for clothing rose by 2.2%, while those for shoes fell by 4.2%."

Travel became significantly more expensive, with STATEC recording a +21.4% increase for plane tickets, and a +7.3% increase for package holidays.

On the other hand, and despite the end of the fuel discount, energy prices have fallen. The price of diesel fell by 6.1%, compared with 8.6% for petrol. The same applies to heating oil: the bill for filling the tank is 9.2% lower than in July. Of course, prices remain at levels well above those of last year.

STATEC also indicates that food prices are still "on the rise". In particular for cheese (+2.3%), meat (+0.6%), fresh fruit (+2.7%), as well as fats and oils (+2.9%). The price of fresh vegetables fell (-1.8%).

The annual inflation rate remains at 6.8%, STATEC writes. Excluding the variations due to the sales and excluding petroleum products, the prices of other goods and services rose by just 0.4%.