Malaysia’s April inflation steady at 1.8%, driven by cost of food, personal care

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s consumer price index (CPI) climbed 1.8 per cent year on year in April, on the back of rising prices of dining out, accommodation and personal-care services, a Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) report indicated on Friday (May 24).

The inflation rate in April was the same as for February and March. The final 1.8 per cent figure, however, is below the forecast of 1.9 per cent made by a group of economists in a recent Reuters poll.

Core inflation, meanwhile, rose by 1.9 per cent from the year before, higher than the 1.7 per cent increase in March.