Factory gate inflation slowed unexpectedly in November after petroleum prices rose less quickly than the same time a year ago, official data showed last Friday. The Office for National Statistics said annual producer output price inflation slowed to 3.9% in November from 4.0% in October, confounding forecasts for a pick-up to 4.1%. There was no input price data available, however. The ONS said it was delaying the publication of these figures until Today, December 13 due to potential errors. Nonetheless, Friday's data should provide some reassurance to the Bank of England that underlying inflationary pressures are in check even though a rise in VAT next year is likely to keep consumer price British factory gate inflation inflation well above the Bank of Englands 2% target. Economists had broadly predicted that a rise in oil and other commodity prices would push up PPI over the past month. The ONS said the slowdown in the headline index was due to a slower rate of increase in petroleum prices than last year. Nonetheless, petroleum products were the biggest single contributor to output price inflation, up 9.8% on the year. However, core producer price inflation, excluding oil, food and tobacco, picked up to 3.3% last month from a downwardly revised 3.2% in October, but was also below forecasts for a rise to 3.5%.