Italy’s CPI inflation figure was unchanged in the month to March while the rate of price increases came in at 1.2% on an annual basis, according to data released by the country’s official statistics agency on Tuesday. Earlier forecasts had predicted a 1.3% annual rise in March, while the monthly increase was also expected to come in slightly higher, at 0.1%. “The downward trend of Italian inflation has been mostly driven by the base effect of the energy goods component, driven by the decline in natural gas prices,” said Paolo Pizzoli, an ING economist covering Italy and Greece. Nicola Nobile, …