Inflation in the City of Buenos Aires in February was 2.6%, showing a slowdown from 3.1% in January, according to data from the Buenos Aires Statistics Institute. This way, the first two-month period closed with a price increase of 5.7%, and the annual variation was 32.4%, according to the report processed by the Argentine News Agency. In February, the strongest impact was from housing-related expenses, which increased by 5.9%. Meanwhile, food prices rose by 2.9%, 0.3 points above the general level. Among the categories with the highest increases were financial services, which rose by 5%. Also impactful were increases in home equipment (3.1%), health (3%), information and communication (2.4%), and personal care (2.3%). Among notable data, there was a 0.4% decrease in transportation and complete stability in clothing prices. The report also shows that education rose by 1.7% and restaurants and hotels by 1.5%, well below the average. Prices for goods as a whole rose by 1.9%, while services rose by 3%. Meanwhile, seasonal items fell by 6.5%, while regulated prices (public service and transportation tariffs) rose by 4.5%. Regarding food, the main driver was meat and derivatives (7.3%). Conversely, decreases in fruits (-2.1%) and vegetables, tubers, and legumes (-1.1%) contributed to mitigating the increase in the division. To a lesser extent, increases in bread and cereals (1.9%) and milk, dairy products, and eggs (1.8%) had an impact.
