Malaysia inflation seen easing to 3.6% year-on-year in March

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's annual inflation rate likely cooled to 3.6 per cent in March from a seven-year high the previous month, a Reuters poll showed.

Lower fuel prices in March are expected to have offset higher costs of food and consumer goods, economists said.

In February, the consumer price index increased 4.2 per cent from a year earlier, the biggest annual rise since December 2008.

For November through February, Malaysia's annual inflation rate has been higher than in October. The pace is expected to moderate after the first quarter, reflecting a higher base from a year earlier, as a 6 per cent Goods and Services Tax was implemented in April 2015.

REUTERS