Stubborn Inflation in Germany and Spain Keeps ECB on Alert

  • Officials have hinged rate decision on consumer-price numbers
  • Reports from France, Italy and euro zone are due Thursday
Shoppers walk along a shopping street in downtown Munich, Germany.Photographer: Michaela Rehle/Bloomberg
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Inflation slowed less than expected in Germany and quickened in Spain, offering European Central Bank officials a partial picture of the region’s price pressures as they judge whether to raise interest rates again.

The numbers published Wednesday point to the possibility of a robust outcome when the euro-zone report is released the following day — data policymakers have highlighted as crucial to their Sept. 14 decision.