Finland Times

 

File Photo Lehtikuva

The year-on-year change in consumer prices increased to 1.6% in December, according to the Statistics Finland.

 

The data, released on Tuesday, also showed that the inflation in the month of November was 1.4%.

 

The slight rise in inflation was primarily caused by an upturn in the prices of petrol and mobile communication services. The average inflation for the year 2013 was 1.5%, the data said.

 

File Photo Lehtikuva

In December, consumer prices went up because of higher prices of food, housing, and restaurant and café services. 

 

Food prices rose more than anything else because of higher prices of dairy products, vegetables and meat. Rent increases were, in turn, the main reason for increased housing costs. However, consumer prices were curbed somewhat in December by falling interest rates and prices of entertainment electronics. 

 

File Photo Lehtikuva

From November to December, consumer prices went up by 0.4%, primarily because of rise in the prices of food and air travel, according to data compiled by the Statistics Finland.

 

Statistics Finland’s interviewers collected around 50,000 prices on 486 commodities from approximately 2,700 outlets for the Consumer Price Index.