GOTHENBURG, Sweden - Eurozone consumer prices fell this month by more than economists had expected, reinforcing expectations the European Central Bank will not raise interest rates yet in spite of a nascent economic recovery.

Prices in the 16-country area fell 0.3 per cent year on year in September, the European Union statistics office said in an estimate released in Luxembourg. They had dipped 0.2 per cent in August, 0.7 per cent in July and 0.1 per cent in June.