Italy's national statistics agency, ISTAT, published revised consumer price figures for April on Friday, trimming its initial estimates and offering a nuanced snapshot of price dynamics.
The EU-harmonised consumer price index (HICP) was reported to have increased 1.6% from March to April and to have risen 2.8% compared with the same month a year earlier. Those figures are slightly lower than ISTAT's preliminary release, which had pointed to a 1.7% monthly advance and a 2.9% annual rise.
Despite the downward revision relative to the preliminary estimate, the April annual HICP rate of 2.8% represents an acceleration from the 1.6% year-on-year rate recorded in March, indicating that headline price growth picked up over the month.
ISTAT's main domestic price index, a separate gauge of price movements within the domestic economy, also showed monthly and yearly increases. The domestic index rose 1.1% on the month and was up 2.7% on an annual basis in April, compared with a 1.7% year-on-year increase in March.
Looking at underlying inflation, core inflation on the HICP measure - which excludes fresh food and energy - was recorded at 1.6% year-on-year for April. That core rate eased from 1.8% in the prior month, signaling a decline in underlying price pressures when volatile food and energy components are removed.
The revised figures therefore present a mixed signal: headline HICP shows a faster annual pace compared with March, while core inflation and the downward revision from the preliminary estimate point to some easing beneath the surface. The domestic price index's annual increase also accelerated compared with March.
ISTAT's update replaces the earlier provisional numbers with these finalized revisions. The agency's revised data provides the current official view of month-on-month and year-on-year consumer price movements for April across headline, domestic, and core measures.
Data notes: HICP refers to the EU-harmonised consumer price index; core inflation excludes fresh food and energy; domestic price index refers to ISTAT's main domestic gauge.