March 27 Reuters Spain39;s EuropeanUnion harmonised inflation rose 3.2 in the 12 months through March, up from 2.9 increase in the period through February, preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute INE showed on Wednesday.

The 12month harmonised inflation was below the 3.3 expected by analysts polled by Reuters.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile fresh food and energy prices, rose 3.3 in the 12 months through March, down from 3.5 in the previous month, INE said.

Spanish 12month national consumer prices rose 3.2 through March, up from a 2.8 increase in February and in line with expectation of analysts polled by Reuters.

Reporting by Tiago Brandao, Editing by Pietro Lombardi

Source Reuters