Karl Hendon | Moment | Getty ImagesLONDON — U.K. inflation held steady at 4% year-on-year in January on the back of easing prices for furniture and household goods, food and non-alcoholic beverages. Economists polled by Reuters had produced a consensus forecast of 4.2% year-on-year for January and -0.3% for the month. The CPI goods annual rate slowed from 1.9% to 1.8%, but price pressures in the services industry remained hot, with the CPI services annual rate rising from 6.4% to 6.5%. The U.K. has lagged its peers in bringing down inflation, but the headline CPI has been on a general downward trajectory since the October 2022 peak of 11.1% year-on-year. The labor market and wage growth have meanwhile eased but will remain uncomfortably robust for a central bank aiming to drag inflation back to its 2% target.

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Persons: Karl Hendon, Jeremy Hunt, Marion Amiot Organizations: London, Euromonitor International, Karl, Reuters, National Statistics, Bank of England, Finance