CPI for S'pore households drops 0.4% in H1

THE consumer price index (CPI) for Singapore households decreased 0.4 per cent in the first half of this year, contrasting with the 0.5 per cent rise experienced in the preceding six months, according to a report from the Department of Statistics (DOS).

For the bottom 20 per cent of households, inflation fell by 0.7 per cent, while for the top 20 per cent of Singapore's households, it fell by 0.6 per cent in H12015. For the middle 60 per cent, inflation edged downward by 0.2 per cent.

The decline experienced across all households in the first half of 2015 came on the back of lower accommodation costs and electricity tariffs, although these were partly offset by moderate increases in food prices, DOS highlighted.

Stripping out imputed rentals on owner-occupied accommodation (OOA), the CPI climbed 0.2 per cent in the first half of this year, which was lower than the 0.9 per cent rise in the second half of 2014.