Germany's inflation probably peaked as energy prices fall - govt adviser

BERLIN - Inflation in Germany has probably peaked as global energy prices have fallen, government economic adviser Monika Schnitzer said, adding that she expects natural gas prices to continue to fall this year.

"If nothing unforeseen happens, then we should actually have passed the peak," Schnitzer told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

Schnitzer said she did not see the need for the European Central Bank to raise interest rate by more than 0.5 percentage points in its next meeting on Feb. 2, adding that the ECB was facing a difficult balancing act and must act proportionately.