French preliminary inflation up at 3.4% in September

Sept 30 (Reuters) - French consumer prices rose more than expected in September, preliminary data from the INSEE statistics agency showed on Wednesday.

France's harmonized inflation rate, adjusted for comparison with other euro zone countries, was 3.4% year-on-year in September.

• Inflation rose from 2.6% in August driven by energy prices, with petroleum products and gas prices rising, INSEE said

• A Reuters poll of 19 analysts had on average expected a rate of 3.1%, with estimates ranging from 2.8% to 3.3%

• France's domestic consumer price index rose 3.0% year-on-year in September, above the 2.8% forecast and up from 2.4% in August

• Services inflation edged higher as the seasonal fall in accommodation and transport prices was less marked than in September 2025

• Food prices also accelerated driven by fresh produce, while the decline in manufactured goods prices eased

• On a monthly basis, the harmonised index fell 0.4% in September, against a Reuters forecast of -0.5% and a 0.7% gain in August

(Reporting by Dimitri Rhodes in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)