AlHijjah 15, 1436, September 29, 2015, SPA -- The annual inflation rate in Germany slowed to zero in September adding to the pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to step up its attempts to head off the threat of deflation in the eurozone. Consumer prices in Europe's biggest economy rose 0.2 per cent inAugust, the German statistics office (Destatis) said on Tuesday. Analysts had expected a 0.1-per-cent year-on-year rate in September. The weaker inflation rate reflects the continuing sharp fall inenergy costs. The ECB has been attempting to drive consumer prices back up to itsannual inflationary target of just below 2 per cent by spending 60billion euros (67.4 billion dollars) a month on buying up governmentand private sector bonds across the 19-member eurozone. However, the ECB's efforts have been hit by the recent slump in oilprices. Energy prices in Germany fell by 9.3 per cent in September afterdeclining by 7.6 per cent in August, Destatis said. The other components of German inflation, including rents, food andservices, rose in September, the data showed.
