Eurozone inflation, unemployment rates unchanged

BRUSSELS: Inflation in the 19-nation eurozone was unchanged in July while the jobless rate for June was also flat, suggesting the economy maintained only modest growth, official data showed Friday.
Analysts said the figures were disappointing, with no sign as yet that the European Central Bank´s unprecedented economic stimulus programme is beginning to have a real impact on the economy after years of tepid gains.
Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in July, the Eurostat statistics agency said, the same rate as the previous month and in line with analysts´ forecasts.
The ECB has an inflation target of just under 2.0 percent and in March launched what is known as a Quantitative Easing (QE) programme to pump about one trillion euros through to September 2016 into the economy in an effort to get it back on track.
Underlying inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, was slightly more positive from the ECB´s point of view, rising to 1.0 percent in July from 0.8 percent in June, Eurostat said. Unemployment meanwhile was unchanged at 11.1 percent in June, it said.