Eurozone inflation jumps to 2.5% in March as energy prices surge

(Sharecast News) - Eurozone inflation jumped to 2.5% in March, as rising oil and gas prices pushed it ahead of the European Central Bank's 2% target, according to official flash estimates published on Tuesday.

The rate compared with a figure of 1.9% in February. Energy costs are expected to have risen by 4.9% in March, the EU's stats agency Eurostat said, compared with a 3.1% fall in February.

When stripping out energy, inflation fell slightly from 2.4% in February to 2.3% in March, it added.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com