Malaysia Inflation Eases Unexpectedly To 1.8%

(RTTNews) - Malaysia's consumer price inflation eased unexpectedly in November, though slightly, data from the Department of Statistics showed on Friday.

The consumer price index, or CPI, climbed 1.8 percent year-on-year in November, following a 1.9 rise in October. Economists had expected inflation to rise to 2.1 percent.

At the same time, core inflation remained stable at 1.8 percent.

Transport charges rose at a slower pace of 0.4 percent annually versus a 0.7 percent gain in October. Meanwhile, housing and utility costs grew at a slightly faster pace of 3.2 percent.

Data showed that the annual decline in information and communication deepened to 3.9 percent from 1.7 percent.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged down 0.1 percent in November after rising 0.2 percent in the prior month.