Malaysia Feb inflation rate seen easing again to 1.9% y-o-y: poll

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's annual inflation rate is expected to come in at 1.9 per cent in February, cooling for the second month in a row, a Reuters poll showed.

The moderation in pace was likely due to lower fuel prices during the month, as well as a high-base effect from last year, the economists surveyed said.

The inflation rate was at 2.7 per cent in January - its slowest pace since December 2016, when it was at 1.7 per cent.

Headline inflation has moderated after staying above 3 per cent every month in 2017, peaking at 5.1 per cent in March.

Malaysia's central bank left its key interest rate unchanged earlier this month, after hiking it for the first time in over three years in January, as inflationary pressures eased.

REUTERS