Inflation in the euro zone stood at a four-year low of 1.6% in March, unchanged from February, the EU's data agency Eurostat said in a preliminary estimate this morning.
The European Central Bank has a medium-term ceiling for euro zone inflation of 2%. The final March figures will be available on April 16.
Separate figures from the EU Commission showed that business and consumer confidence in the euro zone was stagnant in March, though economic sentiment was marginally higher compared with February.
The Commission's business climate indicator fell for the second month in a row in March to a five-month low of -0.1.
