Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) issued a flash estimate showing annual consumer-price inflation at 4.9% in September, up six-tenths of a percentage point from August and the highest rate since February 2023. Higher fuel and vehicle-lubricant costs were the main driver, while package-holiday prices declined less than a year earlier. Energy-product prices rose 21.6%, unprocessed food increased 5.8%, and services rose 3.9%. Core inflation reached 3.1%, while the EU-comparable Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) rose 5.0% annually. The provisional estimate conflicts with the existing record, which reports a later final September inflation reading of 5.9%, revised from an earlier 5.0% preliminary figure.