Euro-zone inflation accelerates to 2.6% in March (by Simon Kennedy)
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Inflation in the euro zone rose at a 2.6% annual rate in March, up from 2.4% in February, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat reported Thursday in a preliminary estimate. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires had been expecting the inflation rate to ease back slightly to 2.3%. The European Central Bank's target is near, but just below, 2%.