OECD CONSUMER PRICES RISE IN FEBRUARY
Consumer prices in the countries of the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
rose 0.3 pct in February and inflation rose to 2.4 pct
year-on-year, the OECD said in a communique.
    The OECD attributed the rise in consumer prices to the
effects of the February 1986 drop in energy prices working
their way out of the index. The February increase was less than
Janauary's 0.4 pct increase but slightly above the average for
the later months of 1986.
    Inflation in the 24 western industrialised nations in
January was a revised 1.9 pct year-on-year. 
    Retail energy prices rose by 0.3 pct, less than January's
1.1 pct increase. Energy prices for consumers were still nine
pct lower than a year earlier, it said.
    Consumer prices excluding food and energy rose 0.3 pct in
February, in line with previous months, although there has been
some acceleration noticeable in the U.S. And Britain.
    Among the leading seven industrial countries, consumer
price inflation was highest in Italy at 4.2 pct, followed by
Canada at 4.0 pct, Britain at 3.9 pct, France at 3.4 pct, the
U.S. At 2.1 pct and West Germany and Japan with negative rates
of 0.5 pct and 1.4 pct respectively.
 REUTER
