{
  "id": 17238205,
  "title": "Germany, France, Italy and Spain: Where was inflation highest in October?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/germany-france-italy-and-spain-where-was-inflation-highest-in-october",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-30T14:19:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/30/germany-france-italy-and-spain-where-was-inflation-highest-in-october"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In October, Italy experienced the highest inflation rates among the four largest European economies, with prices rising by 5.4% compared to a year earlier. Spain followed with 4.9% inflation, while France saw 3.4% and Germany 2.8%.\n\nHowever, the direction of inflation varied among the countries. Italy and France saw accelerating inflation, while Spain had a steady rate and Germany saw a decline. All four economies were grappling with the same surge in energy costs, leading to different inflation outcomes.\n\nIn Italy, energy prices surged by 31.4%, driven by international geopolitical factors. This led to a 5.6% increase in inflation, as measured by the harmonised EU index. Food prices also rose, with the shopping trolley basket increasing by 2.5%.\n\nSpain's inflation remained flat at 4.9% due to cheaper fuel compared to October 2022, though energy prices still rose by 24.1%. The underlying inflation, excluding energy and unprocessed food, stayed at 3.1%.\n\nIn France, inflation hit 3.4%, the highest since January 2024, with energy prices surging 24.1% year-on-year. This pushed the economy towards stagflation, where rising prices coexist with stagnant growth. French inflation is predicted to exceed 4% by November.\n\nGermany, however, saw a drop in inflation to 2.8%, mainly due to a cut in fuel taxes that went into effect in October. Energy prices slowed to 12.2%, and consumer prices fell by 0.2%. While the current German data may be short-lived, economists expect energy inflation to return in early 2025 if fuel duties are raised again.",
  "summary": "Inflation rose in Italy and France, held in Spain and fell in Germany in October. What is driving the gap between Europe's largest economies and will the European Central Bank hike again in December?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/17238205.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Short-term inflation rises to 11.32pc in last week of October, driven by perishable food prices",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/short-term-inflation-rises-to-11-32pc-in-last-week-of-october-driven",
        "published": "2026-10-30T10:35:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Polish inflation falls to 3.5% in October, below forecasts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/polish-inflation-falls-to-3-5-in-october-below-forecasts",
        "published": "2026-10-30T10:40:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "Germany Inflation Eases to 2.8% in October",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/germany-inflation-eases-to-2-8-in-october",
        "published": "2026-10-30T13:01:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "FXStreet",
        "title": "Germany annual CPI inflation softens to 2.8% in October",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/germany-annual-cpi-inflation-softens-to-2-8-in-october",
        "published": "2026-10-30T13:05:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}