ROME, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Italy's annual inflation rate rose to 0.8 percent in January, up from 0.6 percent in December, according to Italy's National Statistics Institute (ISTAT) on Thursday.
The relatively low inflation rate in January is significant given that the month is the first since the price controls in Italy's "anti-inflation quarter" expired. The initiative artificially reduced consumer prices on a basket of basic necessities over the final three months of 2023. The government reserved the right to continue the terms of the "anti-inflation quarter" into this year but it chose not to do so.
