German inflation picks up slightly in May

WIESBADEN, Germany - Inflation in Germany, the eurozone's biggest economy, picked up slightly in May, preliminary data showed on Wednesday.
The pan-German consumer price index (CPI) rose by 1.7 percent on a 12-month basis this month, fractionally faster than the 1.6 percent recorded in April, the federal statistics office, Destatis, said in a statement.
And on a monthly basis, the cost of living in Germany increased by 0.3 percent in May from April, the statisticians calculated in preliminary data.
Preliminary pan-German CPI is calculated on the basis of inflation data for six so-called indicator states -- Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony.
Final CPI based on consumer price data for all 16 German states was scheduled to be released in mid-June.

05/25/2005 14:33 GMT