By Balazs Koranyi

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Euro zone inflation accelerated last month on higher services prices and a smaller decline in energy costs, likely reinforcing bets on the ECB keeping interest rates on hold for some time.

Inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro picked up to 2.2% in September from 2.0% in August, in line with expectations in a Reuters poll of economists.

A more closely watched core figure, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, meanwhile held steady at 2.3%, despite a pick up in services inflation, fresh data from Eurostat showed on Wednesday.

ECB UNBOTHERED BY UPTICK

Although the European Central Bank spent the past four years battling excessive inflation, this uptick is unlikely to fuel too many concerns among its policymakers, as broader economic t

See Full Page