Romania ends 2013 with lowest annual inflation level in 23 years

Romania’s annual inflation rate was 1.55 percent at the end of 2013, down from 1.88 percent the previous month. It was the lowest annual inflation in over 20 years. Consumer prices went up 0.3 percent month-on-month in December 2013, while prices for food went up 0.6 percent, according to the data provided by the country’s Statistics Institute INS. Both non-food and services prices increased by 0.2 percent month-on-month in December. The biggest price increase in food items was recorded for potatoes - up 9.8 percent in December compared to the previous month. The central bank BNR’s target for 2013 was of 2.5 percent plus/minus one percentage point. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com