Outside Japan, Inflation in Advanced Economies Trending Down

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Oct 31, 2013, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for September increased over the past 12 months for all 16 economies for which such price measures are available from The Conference Board International Labor Comparisons program.

Between September 2012 and September 2013, inflation was highest in the United Kingdom (2.7 percent) and Norway (2.6 percent). By comparison, prices in the United States were up 0.8 percent. Denmark and Switzerland posted the smallest price increases (both 0.2 percent).

Compared to August, the year-over-year inflation rate fell or held steady in 14 of the 16 economies. Inflation ticked up slightly in Denmark, but the key outlier was again Japan, where the annual inflation rate rose from 1.1 to 1.4 percent. Outside of a 2008 spike in oil and commodities prices, this was the highest monthly inflation Japan has seen since March 1998.

"In September, price growth continued to slow in the U.S. and throughout Europe," said Elizabeth Crofoot, Senior Economist with the International Labor Comparisons program at The Conference Board. "Only Japan, which emerged earlier this year from a long bout of deflation, has seen persistent inflation growth since June, a result of expanding monetary policy and the large depreciation of the yen."

About HICP and International Labor Comparisons (ILC)
Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices are measures of consumer price inflation that have been standardized across multiple countries based on European Union definitions. A monthly report compiles HICP trends for 16 economies, alongside conventional Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) as measured by national governments. The Conference Board adjusts official HICP and CPI metrics to a common base year to facilitate comparison with the United States.

The data is published as part of The Conference Board International Labor Comparisons program. Formerly a division of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILC is dedicated to producing economic indicators that optimize research, comparison, and planning in a global context.

For more information about The Conference Board ILC program:
www.conference-board.org/ilcprogram

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is an independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org.

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