By Isabella Pugliese Vellani São Paulo, 16/04/2026 - The annual inflation in the euro area is expected to accelerate to 3% in April and remain slightly above that level for the remainder of the year, largely reflecting the increased pressure on energy and food prices, according to Capital Economics. According to the British consultancy, any increase in underlying inflation is expected to be "very small." Focusing on the projections for natural gas, Capital predicts that electricity and gas inflation will likely rise from -2.4% in March to about 5% in the second half of this year. Despite the jump, the analysis reinforces that, if confirmed, the figure will remain well below the peak of almost 60% in 2022. Contact: isabella.vellani@estadao.com