Lithuania Inflation Remains Stable, Trade Gap Widens

(RTTNews) - Lithuania's consumer price inflation held steady in April after rising to a 19-month high in March, figures from the statistical office showed on Friday.

Separate official data showed that the trade deficit increased in March as imports grew faster than exports.

The consumer price index rose 4.1 percent year-on-year in April, the same as in the previous month.

Prices for consumer goods grew by 3.3 percent, and those for services surged by 5.8 percent.

The annual price growth in food and non-alcoholic beverages accelerated to 5.0 percent in April from 4.5 percent in March. Housing and utility costs were 4.8 percent more expensive, while clothing and footwear prices continued to decrease by 0.6 percent.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged up 0.1 percent in April versus a 0.4 percent gain in March.

Separate data from the statistical office showed that the trade deficit widened to EUR 665.8 million in March from EUR 286.1 million last year. In February, the shortfall was EUR 615.5 million.

Exports grew 6.0 percent over the year, while imports climbed at a comparatively faster pace of 9.0 percent.

During the first quarter, the total trade deficit of the country was EUR 1.6 billion, up from EUR 0.8 billion in the same period a year ago.