Dutch consumer inflation accelerated to 3.2% year on year in July from 2.9% in June, coming in above the 3.1% expected by the market. Statistics Netherlands said the increase was driven by higher prices for services and for housing, water and energy, pointing to persistent price pressures even as the European Central Bank (ECB, eurozone central bank) has tightened policy. Housing, water and energy costs rose 4.1% from a year earlier, services gained 3.8%, and food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 2.5%. Core inflation, which strips out energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, stood at 3.5%, suggesting underlying inflation remains sticky rather than being explained only by volatile energy moves. The reading may complicate the ECB's policy path after it raised interest rates to a record 4% in September 2023, because it shows inflation is easing unevenly across eurozone members. The report says economists will watch August data and the ECB's September meeting for signs of whether the July increase is temporary or more sustained, while Dutch Central Bank (DNB, Netherlands' central bank) projections for average 2024 inflation at 3.1% now face upside risks.