茶叶、肉类等价格上涨推动下 英国7月食品通胀升至17个月来新高

Group 1 - The continuous rise in prices of products such as tea and meat has pushed UK food inflation to its highest level in 17 months [1] - The British Retail Consortium reported a 4% year-on-year increase in food bills for July, marking the highest increase since February 2024 [1] - Overall commodity prices have risen for the second consecutive month, with a year-on-year increase of 0.7%, the highest level in over a year [1] Group 2 - Retailers are transferring costs to consumers in response to policy changes effective from April, despite a weak economic backdrop [3] - The CEO of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, stated that the retail sector faced £7 billion (approximately $9.4 billion) in costs due to last year's budget, forcing most retailers to raise prices [3] - There are increasing speculations about further tax hikes in the autumn as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, seeks to stabilize the UK's fragile public finances, with economists estimating a potential funding gap of up to £30 billion [3] Group 3 - Rising food costs are particularly sensitive to household inflation expectations, increasing the risk of a "second-round effect" where workers demand higher wages to offset rising living costs [3] - According to Rightmove, the pressure from rapidly rising rents on tenants has slightly eased, with the average monthly rent outside London rising by 3.9% to £1,365, the smallest annual increase since 2020 [3] - In London, the average monthly rent increased by 1.9%, reaching a historic high of £2,712 [3]