[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s inflation rate edged up 1.8 per cent year on year in February, on the back of higher utility charges and transport costs, a Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) report indicated on Monday (Mar 25).

The country’s inflation had stayed at 1.5 per cent for three consecutive months since November. The final figure in February outpaced the forecast of 1.4 per cent made by 13 economists in a recent Reuters poll.

Core inflation, meanwhile, rose 1.8 per cent in February, the same growth rate as January’s.