Abu Dhabi's annual inflation remained flat at 1 per cent in March, according to data released by Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre.

The housing and utility costs, which account for almost 38 per cent of consumer expenses, fell 0.6 per cent from a year earlier in March, while clothing and footwear prices rose 2.2 per cent.

Analysts polled by Reuters in January forecast average inflation in the UAE would accelerate to 1.8 per cent in 2013 from 0.7 per cent in 2012, which was the lowest level since 1990.-Reuters