The French consumer prices index for August showed a rise of 0.4 pct compared with a fall of 0.2 pct in July, according to figures from the Insee statistics office. Year-on-year CPI was up 1.8 pct compared with a rise of 1.7 pct in July. Economists polled by AFX News expected the CPI to be up 0.3 pct on the month and 1.7 pct over the year. Underlying 'core' inflation, which excludes products with either regulated or highly-volatile prices, rose by 0.3 pct in August, after a 0.3 pct rise in July. Food and tobacco declined 0.6 pct on the month and manufactured goods were up 1.0 pct, while services CPI was 0.3 pct higher. The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP), calculated to allow comparison with other EU members, was up 0.4 pct month-on-month and rose 2.0 pct over the year.