Inflation hits record 8.9% in euro area, but economy grows

ABC News:

Inflation in the European countries using the euro currency shot up to another record in July, pushed by higher energy prices fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, but the economy managed better-than-expected, if meager, growth in the second quarter.

Annual inflation in the eurozone’s 19 countries rose to 8.9% in July, an increase from 8.6% in June, according to numbers published Friday by the European Union statistics agency.

For months, inflation has been running at its highest levels since 1997, when record-keeping for the euro began, leading the European Central Bank to raise interest rates last week for the first time in 11 years to tamp down prices.

The euro-area economy managed to expand by 0.7% from April through July over the previous quarter, contrasting with the contraction in the United States, where fears are growing of a recession. The outlook is just as gloomy for Europe.

Analysts say the economic growth tied to a rebound in tourism could be the last glimmer of upbeat news, with inflation, rising interest rates and a worsening energy crisis fueled by the war expected to push the euro area into recession later this year.