(Bloomberg) --

U.K. inflation eased to a 20-month low in November as a sharp fall in oil prices brought down the cost of filling up a vehicle.

Consumer-price growth slowed to 2.3 percent from 2.4 percent in October, as forecast in a Bloomberg survey. Core inflation slipped to 1.8 percent from 1.9 percent.

Key Insights

  • Office for National Statistics says downward pressure came from the cost of auto fuel, which fell 1.1 percent compared with a 1.6 percent increase in November last year. Other drivers include food, computer games and admissions for live music.
  • Upward pressures came from clothing prices, hotels and restaurants. Tobacco prices were boosted by budget tax increases.
  • Inflation so far this quarter has undershot forecasts made by the Bank of England last month. The BOE had forecast a CPI rate of 2.5 percent for both October and November.
  • Brexit crisis has seen traders pare bets on a rate rise next year, despite evidence of growing inflationary pressure in the labor market.
  • BOE is expected to keep its benchmark rate at 0.75 percent this week and traders are ruling out the possibility of a hike before Britain leaves the European Union on March 29.

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  • Producer input prices fell 2.3 percent from October, driven down by a 11.8 percent drop in the price of crude oil. The decline saw the annual rate of increase drop to 5.6 percent from 10.3 percent.
  • Output prices rose 0.2 percent, taking the year-on-year rate to 3.1 percent.
  • Fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal are taking a toll on the U.K. housing market, with house- prices growth slowing to 2.7 percent in October, the lowest since July 2013. The worst-performing region was London, where prices fell 1.7 percent.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.