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UK consumer price inflation held steady in February, while factory gate price growth eased and input costs returned to annual growth, official data showed Wednesday. According to the Office for National Statistics, the consumer prices index, including owner occupiers’ housing costs, rose 3.2% in the 12 months to February, unchanged from January. The consumer prices index also remained steady, rising 3.0% on-year in February, in line with the previous month and FXStreet consensus. On a monthly basis, both CPIH and CPI increased by 0.4% in February, matching the rise seen a year earlier and in line with FXStreet consensus. The ONS said clothing provided the largest upward contribution to monthly price changes, with monthly inflation at 0.6% in February, compared to a 0.3% monthly fall in the prices of clothing and footwear in February 2025. Meanwhile, motor fuels exerted the biggest downward pressure. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, edged higher. Core CPI rose to 3.2% in February from 3.1% in January, in line with FXStreet-cited consensus, while core CPIH increased to 3.4% from 3.3%. Separately, producer price data showed a mixed picture for UK manufacturers. Producer input prices rose 0.5% on an annual basis in February, reversing a revised 0.4% decline in January and beating FXStreet-cited expectations of a 0.4% increase. However, output prices, which reflect prices charged by manufacturers at the factory gate, rose 1.7% on-year, slowing from a 2.5% increase in January and missing FXStreet expectations of a 2.6% rise. On a monthly basis, input prices rose 0.8% in February, while output prices fell 0.5%. The import price index increased 0.3% on an annual basis. The ONS noted that the producer price data predates the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East at the end of February. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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