Global Market: Euro Zone firms see slower price and wage growth, ECB survey shows

Euro zone companies expect selling prices and wages to rise at a slower pace over the next 12 months, according to a European Central Bank (ECB) survey released on Monday, offering fresh evidence that the recent energy-driven pickup in inflation has not yet translated into broader second-round price pressures, Reuters reported.

The survey comes as inflation in the euro zone remains close to 3%, well above the ECB's 2% target, largely due to elevated energy costs. Policymakers have been monitoring whether persistent price pressures could push up inflation expectations and trigger stronger wage demands, creating a prolonged inflation cycle.

According to the ECB's Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises, businesses now expect selling prices to increase by 3.2% over the next year, down from 3.5% projected three months earlier, Reuters reported.


Companies also lowered their expectations for non-labour input cost growth, including energy costs, to 5.2% from 5.8% in the previous survey.

The survey showed that wage growth expectations eased to 2.5% from 2.8% in the previous quarter, a key indicator that ECB policymakers are likely to assess during their monetary policy meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Despite the moderation in price and wage expectations, firms' longer-term inflation outlook remained broadly stable. Inflation expectations for one year and three years ahead held steady at 3.0%, while the five-year expectation edged up to 3.1% from 3.0% in the previous survey.

The ECB is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at this week's policy meeting. However, rising oil prices have strengthened market expectations that the central bank could raise its deposit rate, currently at 2.25%, at its September meeting, Reuters reported.