ROME (Reuters) -Italian EU-harmonised consumer prices (HICP) rose 0.1% month-on-month in May and the annual inflation rate decelerated to 1.9%, preliminary figures by official statistics agency ISTAT showed on Friday.
A Reuters survey of 21 analysts had pointed to a flat month-on-month reading and a 1.9% year-on-year rise.
Core inflation (net of fresh food and energy) was running at 2.1% year-on-year on the HICP index in May, like in April.
ISTAT also reported that the main domestic price index (NIC), was flat on the month and down to 1.7% annually in May, following a 1.9% annual rate the previous month.
(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli, graphic by Stefano Bernabei, editing by Giulia Segreti)
