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Lower energy prices take air out of Danish inflation

Inflation continued to fall in Denmark in January with lower energy prices a primary factor.

Lower energy prices take air out of Danish inflation
Inflation has eased in recent months but food prices remain well above 2020 levels, seen in this file photo. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

A latest inflation index which takes into account EU consumer prices was released by national agency Statistics Denmark on Tuesday.

The index shows a fall in the inflation level from 9.6 percent in December to 8.4 percent in January.

Although inflation is falling, it remains at a high level seen in a historical context.

Meanwhile, the measure of “core inflation” or kerneinflation continues to be a warning light for Danish consumers.

Core inflation is the inflation of prices excluding food and energy prices and is sometimes used by economists as a measure of how entrenched inflation has become in other areas of the economy. It fell marginally from 7.4 percent in December to 7.3 percent in January.

Because core inflation is steady while the overall, energy-driven inflation rate has started declining, end prices for consumers could remain high in the shorter term, even if energy bills are lower than they were in 2022.

READ ALSO: Why prices in Denmark could still increase despite falling inflation

“High core inflation shows that a broad cross section of Danish consumption is affected by price increases,” private economist with Arbejdernes Landsbank, Brian Friis Helmer, told news wire Ritzau in a comment.

Overall inflation for the EU was 10 percent in January according to the latest data, which confirm preliminary figures released earlier this month.

The EU figure is also slightly down month-on-month.

Inflation should continue to fall in coming months, Helmer predicted.

“Electricity and gas prices have fallen markedly since the crazy heights of late last summer and Danes’ budgets are therefore not as badly hit on that front,” he said.

“At the same time, global food and raw material prices and transport costs have fallen, and that can reduce the price burden on Danes,” he said.

“Inflation is a measure of the prices today compared to a year ago. Therefore, the steep price increases from last year will begin to fall away from inflation calculations as we progress through the year,” he also said.

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ECONOMY

IN DATA: Danish incomes rise faster than any time in the last 30 years

The average income earned in Denmark shot up by 6.3 percent in 2023, the largest annual rise in earnings recorded since the early 1990s. We break down the numbers.

IN DATA: Danish incomes rise faster than any time in the last 30 years

The average pre-tax income in Denmark rose to 395,500 kroner in 2023, a 6.3 percent rise on the average in 2022, and the highest year-on-year percentage rise in real incomes seen in the country in 30 years.

The sharp rise was driven primarily by income from investments, with shares and funds which performed poorly in 2022 bouncing back strongly in 2023, leading to a near-doubling in the earnings booked by many Danes. 

"The high increase in the average total income per person before tax in 2023 must be seen in the light of an extremely good year on the financial markets," Statistics Denmark wrote in a press release. The average pre-tax income from assets shot up 77 percent to 24,600 kroner in 2023, after the disappointing 29 percent decline in investment earnings received on average in 2022. 

Income from salaries rose a very solid 4.1 percent, with the average pre-tax salary rising by 10,100 kroner to 255,900 kroner. Income from small businesses rose 3.8 percent from 265,500 kroner to 275,500 kroner, while income for the self-employed was flat compared to 2022 at an average of 18,600 kroner. 

"It's hardly surprising that income is rising on average," Brian Friis Helmer, a private economist at Arbejdernes Landsbank, said in a comment. "Employment rose by more than 30,000 last year, and wages in the private sector, in particular, rose noticeably. With more Danes in work and more in the salary bag, it raises the average income." 

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