UK CPI showed a marked slowdown in October, dipping below market expectations. The annual CPI rate decelerated from 6.7% yoy to 4.6% yoy , falling short of the anticipated 4.7% yoy. This decline reflects a broader trend of easing inflationary pressures, as evidenced by a flat monthly CPI rate of 0.0% mom, which was below the forecasted 0.2% mom.
Delving deeper, core CPI, which excludes volatile items such as energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, mirrored this downtrend. It slowed from an annual rate of 6.1% yoy to 5.7% yoy, again undershooting the expected 5.8% yoy.
A notable aspect of the report was the significant drop in CPI goods annual rate, which plummeted from 6.2% yoy to 2.9% yoy. Meanwhile, services sector also saw a decline, albeit less pronounced, with CPI services annual rate reducing from 6.9% yoy to 6.6% yoy.
The most substantial downward pressure on the annual rates came from housing and household services sector. Notably, CPI annual rate in this category recorded its lowest level since record-keeping began in January 1950. Additionally, food and non-alcoholic beverages sector contributed to the downward trend, marking its lowest annual rate since June 2022.
