June inflation in Russia slows to 0.2% - Rosstat
MOSCOW. July 5 (Interfax) - Inflation in Russia slowed to 0.2% in June after amounting to 0.5% in May, 0.4% in April, 0.6% in March, 0.8% in February, and 2.4% in January, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reported on Tuesday.
First-half inflation was 5% (4.4% for H1 and 0.4% for June last year).
The June figure was almost what analysts had expected. A consensus forecast compiled by Interfax at the end of the month produced a figure of 0.3%.
In year-on-year terms (June 2011 against June 2010), inflation dipped 0.2 of a percentage point to 9.4% (9.6% in April-May and in January, and 9.5% in February). Annual inflation in June of last year was 3.6 percentage points lower at 5.8%.
Annual inflation was at its lowest in July of last year at 5.5%. The figure then increased until January of this year mainly due to rising food prices driven by last year's drought conditions and subsequent smaller harvests.
The base consumer price index, excluding price changes for certain goods subject to factors of an administrative nature, and also seasonal effects, was 100.3% in June (100.4% in May) and 103.8% in January-June. Against last June it was 108.4% (100.2% in June 2010, 102% in January-June 2010). It was 104.3% in June last year against June of the year before.