The average rate of inflation in Germany during 2005 is likely to come out at 2.0 per cent, the highest for four years, statisticians said Friday after seeing preliminary December data. German retail prices last rose at that rate in 2001, calculated by comparisons of each month to the matching month one year before. The 2004 average was 1.6 per cent. The Federal Statistics Office estimate for December was that the prices were up 2.1 per cent from a year ago, based on surveys in a representative handful of states. The November rate had been 0.8 per cent, the office said in Wiesbaden. --SP 00 55 Local Time 21 55 GMT
