Eurozone inflation accelerated again in December for the first time since September, with consumer prices up 2.9% on the year, according to an initial estimate from Eurostat on Friday. The European Union’s statistical authority put annual inflation in November at 2.4%, the lowest level since the summer of 2021. Analysts had expected the December rise. On a month-on-month basis, the December rate came in at 0.2%. Inflation in the 20-nation single currency area had weakened over the course of 2023 after peaking at a record 10.7% in the autumn of 2022. Core inflation – with energy and food stripp…