"The unexpected slowdown in France's inflation rate is at its lowest in five years, far below the European Central Bank's target level."

Due to the impact of falling energy prices, France's inflation rate unexpectedly slowed to its lowest level in five years, well below the European Central Bank's 2% target. France's statistics agency Insee reported that consumer prices rose by 0.4% year-on-year in January, the slowest increase since December 2020, following a 0.7% increase the previous month. This figure was below the median forecast of 0.6% by the 20 analysts surveyed, with only one analyst predicting this result. France's inflation rate has consistently differed from that of the main eurozone economies, and the data released on Tuesday is unlikely to concern European Central Bank officials meeting in Frankfurt this week. With overall price increases in the eurozone close to 2%, it is expected that the central bank will maintain its deposit rate unchanged.