Inflation drops to 14-year low in December
Falling fuel and food prices behind joint-lowest level in annual price inflation since records began.
Annual price inflation has dropped to 0.5% in December, a 14-year low, says the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is the joint-lowest level since records began in 1996 and is a big drop from the 1% recorded in November.
The main reasons for the big drop are both fuel-related. Firstly, December 2013’s gas and electricity price rises have now fallen out of the inflation calculation.
More significantly, the cost of motor fuel keeps falling. This has continued into January as the price of oil is still falling and could lead to a further drop in inflation when January’s figures are published next month.
Food and non-alcoholic beverage price inflation also fell in December last year as supermarkets discounted items in the run-up to Christmas. This has also continued into the new year, with Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all announcing price cuts.
Restaurant and hotel price inflation, as you would expect around the festive season, grew the most.
So it’s good news in terms of food shopping and filling up our vehicles. But it’s not such good news for Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, who will have to write a letter to Chancellor George Osborne explaining the drop.
It also pushes the prospect of a first interest rate rise since 2009 further into the future, with many experts now forecasting it won't happen until the second quarter of 2016.
While that's bad news for savers, the dip in inflation at least means more savings options beat the cost of living at the moment, particularly the interest rates on offer from current accounts.
Compare inflation-beating savings accounts with lovemoney.com
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