February CPI inched up 0.1 pct, increases at lower rate

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumer Price Index for February, which is usually used to gauge inflation, increased at a lower rate of 0.1 per cent to 109.9 compared with 109.8 recorded in the same month last year.

The Statistics Department attributed the lower rate to a significant 11.8 per cent decline for the transport indices.

“The reduction in the index for transport was attributed in the expenditure class for fuel and lubricants for personal transport by 20 per cent,” it said in a statement yesterday.

Other decreases were also noted for the indices of communication (0.9 per cent) and clothing and footwear (0.6 per cent).

The main group that contributed to the increase was alcoholic beverages and tobacco (10.6 per cent), health (3.4 per cent) and restaurants and hotels (2.9 per cent). Overall, the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 2.7 per cent whereas the index for non-food decreased 1.1 per cent in February over the corresponding month last year.

However, a modest increase in the food and non-alcoholic beverages was not able to increase the overall index due to higher contribution by the non-food group (+69.7 per cent). — Bernama