Annual inflation in the eurozone remained at 0.5 per cent in June, according to initial figures released Monday by the European Union's statistics office, amid fears the currency bloc could slip into deflation, dpa reported. A 0.1-per-cent rise in energy costs and a 1.3-per-cent increase in the cost of services was offset by falling food, alcohol and tobacco prices, according to the estimate by Eurostat. European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has left the door open to other monetary stimulus measures to boost inflation if necessary, announcing in early June that the bank is prepared to use "unconventional instruments."
