German Inflation Set to Slow in April

Inflation in Germany, the euro zone's biggest economy, looked set to slow in April, with consumer prices in key regional states not rising as fast this month as in March, data showed on Monday. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the country's most populous state, the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 1.4 percent on a 12-month basis this month, slower than the 1.7 percent recorded in March. A similar slowdown was observed in a number of other key states. In the central state of Hesse, CPI rose by just 1.0 percent on a 12-month basis in April, down from 1.4 percent in March. And in the eastern state of Brandenburg, inflation stood at 2.0 percent on a 12-month basis this month, down from 2.2 percent in March. In another eastern state, Saxony, inflation held steady at 1.6 percent year-on-year. Regional cost-of-living data from six so-called indicator states -- Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony -- are used to calculate preliminary pan-German inflation. The states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were scheduled to publish April CPI later on Monday.