German producer prices jump by record 25.9pc

German producer prices maintained their record-breaking rise in February, increasing 25.9 per cent year on year mainly because of energy prices, Federal Statistics Office data showed on Monday.

The jump in factory gate costs, considered a leading indicator for consumer prices, was the biggest since 1949, the statistics office said.

The February figures continued a stretch of record increases since the office began compiling numbers, topping December and January's figures of 24.2 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

The average expectation among analysts polled by Reuters was for an annual increase of 26.2 per cent.