Eurozone inflation rises to 4 pct in October: Eurostat

Annual inflation in the eurozone rose to 4.0 percent in October, up from 3.8 percent in September, according to a flash estimate released Wednesday by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Energy prices remained the main driver of inflation, rising 20.8 percent year on year in October, compared with 18.9 percent in September.

Services inflation edged up to 3.3 percent from 3.2 percent in September, while inflation for food, alcohol and tobacco increased to 1.6 percent from 1.3 percent. Inflation for non-energy industrial goods rose slightly to 1.2 percent from 1.1 percent.

Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, remained unchanged at 2.5 percent.

Among the eurozone's major economies, inflation fell in Germany to 2.8 percent in October from 3.3 percent in September, while in Spain, it edged down to 4.9 percent from 5.0 percent. By contrast, inflation rose in France to 3.8 percent from 3.4 percent and in Italy to 5.6 percent from 4.2 percent.

Lithuania recorded the highest annual inflation rate among the 21 eurozone countries at 6.1 percent, followed by Bulgaria at 6.0 percent. Malta registered the lowest rate at 2.3 percent.

Eurozone inflation has remained above the 2 percent medium-term target of the European Central Bank (ECB) for eight consecutive months.

The ECB's latest Survey of Professional Forecasters, released on Oct. 30, showed that forecasters had revised up their inflation expectations for 2027 by 0.4 percentage points to 2.6 percent, mainly reflecting higher energy prices and their indirect effects.

Eurozone inflation rises to 4 pct in October: Eurostat

Eurozone inflation rises to 4 pct in October: Eurostat

Eurozone inflation rises to 4 pct in October: Eurostat

Eurozone inflation rises to 4 pct in October: Eurostat

The 9th Hongqiao International Economic Forum opened in Shanghai on Thursday, convening business leaders and representatives from around the world to explore paths to a more open global economy together.

The two-day event is being held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center under the theme "Stability and Cooperation: Building an Open World Economy Together," bringing a series of parallel sessions and report releases alongside the main discussions.

Now in its ninth edition, the forum has grown into a premier platform for dialogue on global economic cooperation, with a series of parallel sessions and report launches running alongside the main discussions.

A major highlight was the unveiling of the World Openness Report 2026, which showed that global openness tightened significantly in 2025, even as emerging and developing economies moved in the opposite direction, with China continuing to rank at the forefront among them.

Chinese and international experts at the gathering urged countries worldwide to join hands in fostering global openness and cooperation based on mutual trust, inclusiveness and accessibility.

Also making its debut was the Export-to-China Capacity Development Report, which analyzes China's market demand and import policies from multiple perspectives and aims to help other countries, particularly those in the Global South, enhance their capacity to export to the Chinese market.

The parallel sessions covered a broad agenda, from China's development achievements in the 25 years since its accession to the World Trade Organization to free and fair trade, cooperation on industrial competitiveness, and Hong Kong's new opportunities as its development strategies align with the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Discussions also turned to global economic rebalancing and innovation in the humanoid robot and embodied AI industries, with several research reports released during the sessions.

The forum is running alongside the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), which opened in Shanghai the same day, drawing more than 4,100 overseas exhibitors from 148 countries and regions.

First held in 2018 as the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the CIIE has since evolved into a vital gateway for foreign businesses seeking access to China's vast consumer and industrial markets.

9th Hongqiao Forum opens in Shanghai, exploring paths to a more open global economy