Eurozone Inflation Accelerates In August

Eurozone inflation accelerated to 2.6 percent in August from 2.4 percent in July, flash estimate issued by Eurostat showed Friday. The rate was forecast to rise to 2.5 percent.

The central bank aims to retain inflation rates below, but close to, 2 percent over the medium term. The final report for August is due on September 14.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained unchanged at a record 11.3 percent in July, the statistical office said in a separate report.

About 18 million people were unemployed in the euro area in July. Compared with June, the number of persons unemployed increased by 88,000.