Germany's import prices continued to fall in the double-digits in year-on-year comparisons for September, mainly due to lower energy prices.
But they rose for a second month in a row on a monthly basis, preliminary data from the statistical office Destatis showed.
The import price index fell 14.3% year-on-year after a 16.4% decline in August. Economists were looking for a 15.3% decline.
Import prices climbed 1.6% from August.
That was much faster than the 0.7% rise economists had forecast.
Energy imports were 47.4% cheaper in September this year, but they were 9.7% more expensive than in August. Natural gas import prices sank 69.2% from a year ago, but rose markedly by 12.3% from the previous month.
Excluding energy prices, import prices decreased 3.4% year-on-year, but rose 0.3% on a monthly basis.
The index of export prices fell 4.1% year-on-year after a 5.1% decline in August. This was mainly led by the lower prices for energy exports.
Compared with August, export prices rose 0.4% in September.
Official data showed that consumer price inflation in Germany slowed more than expected to 3.8% in October, it lowest in over two years due to falling energy prices.
While easing price pressures validate the latest "pause" in the interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank, the big question is if the trend is sustainable given the significant risks to the outlook.
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