Factory gate prices fall 0.9% in month

IRISH factory gate prices fell 0.9% in December from the previous month and were down 1.6% year-on-year, the Central Statistics Office said yesterday.

In November, producer prices fell 1.4% month- on-month and were down 1.6% on the year.

“The correlation between output and retail prices isn’t that great, and while deflation may remain the main theme at the wholesale level over the next few months, we see consumer prices picking up,” said Alan McQuaid, chief economist at Bloxham Stockbrokers.