Euro-Area March Inflation Rate Exceeds Estimate on Energy

European consumer prices increased at a faster pace than initially estimated in March, driven by energy costs, complicating the European Central Bank’s task as it tries to push the inflation rate below its 2 percent limit.

Inflation in the 17-nation euro region held at 2.7 percent for a fourth month, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said in an e-mailed statement today. That’s higher than the estimate of 2.6 percent published on March 30.