Eurozone Service Sector Inflation Expected to Fall Below ECB Forecasts

Eurozone service sector inflation is anticipated to decline further in the coming months, falling below the European Central Bank's (ECB) forecasts, according to a report by Jack Allen-Reynolds from Capital Economics. According to Jin10, the inflation rate for the service sector decreased from 3.4% in December to 3.2% in January, indicating a near-complete reversal of the upward trend observed from August to November last year. With wage growth slowing and other leading indicators signaling a downturn, service sector inflation is expected to continue its downward trajectory. This trend is likely to push the core inflation rate below 2% in the second half of this year, with the overall inflation rate dropping to below 1.5%. This projection is lower than the ECB's forecast, leading to an expectation of a rate cut by the end of the year.