BUCHAREST, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Romania's annual inflation
jumped to 5.3 percent on the year in September from August's 3.9 percent due to a poor harvest, weak currency and energy price hikes, official data showed on Wednesday.
Annual inflation was above market expectations and consumer prices rose 1.2 percent on the month, the National Statistics Board said. Food prices were up 2.3 percent from August, while non-food prices and services rose 0.6 and 0.4 percent respectively.
Some analysts expect the central bank will miss its 2-4 percent target band for price growth in 2012, which will limit the scope for cutting interest rates from the current 5.25 percent despite even as regional peers ease monetary policy.
A median forecast of 14 analysts polled by Reuters earlier this month expected annual inflation at 4.7 percent in August, and a 0.5 percent advance on the month.
(Reporting by Sam Cage and Ioana Patran)
((sam.cage@thomsonreuters.com)(+40 0 21 305 5266)(Reuters Messaging: sam.cage.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: ROMANIA ECONOMY/