Accelerates inflation and for Italian families the relapse risks being over 470 euros per year. In January, Istat data, there was an increase of 1.5%, which worries. But the head lifting of inflation is driven by energy assets, with a stable shopping cart and a cross -country inflation that remains firm. So it sounds like a possible temporary tendency more than structural.
According to Istat data in January, the national consumer price index for the entire community scored an increase of 0.6% compared to December 2024 and 1.5% on an annual basis. A acceleration compared to the increase of 1.3% of December 2024, confirming the price lounge of prices.
The increase in inflation will impact on Italian families, with an average aggravation of 472.50 euros per year, about 103.40 euros only for the food sector (estimates of the Federconsumatori National Observatory). According to the Codacons accounts, a type family with these data may have a relapse of 493 euros per year on the cost of living, while for a family with two children the increase could touch 671 euros.
The increase in January inflation was mainly driven by the increase in the prices of regulated energy goods (passed from +12.7% to +27.5%) and by the lower decline in unregulated ones (from -4.2 % to -3.0%). Recreational services and personal care also recorded a slight rise (+3.3%), while the prices of transport services slowed down (+2.5%). The cost of energy was crucial, therefore, for the increase in the inflation of the beginning of the year. In fact, the basic inflation, purified by energy energy and food, has remained stable. And the “shopping cart” has remained at +1.7%.
Energy, therefore, at the center of everything. And it is known that, when the increase in inflation is guided by energy assets, it could be a transient phenomenon. The prices of oil and gas, in fact, are subject to strong oscillations determined by geopolitical and climatic factors (the period of the year with growing consumption). With a stabilization or descent of the costs of raw materials, inflation could automatically reduce itself by basic effect, without the need for interventions.
The monetary authorities, in fact, tend to intervene only if inflation persists over time and moves stablely to wages and consumer goods. Otherwise, a phase of temporary increase in inflation does not require restrictive policies, thus avoiding negatively impacting on economic growth.
The increase in inflation in January is undoubtedly an alert signal for the purchasing power of Italian families. However, although the economic impact is relevant, it is necessary to evaluate whether dear energy is a temporary phenomenon or may have structural repercussions. The next few months will say it.
