Economists expect no change to monetary policy in January, as December core inflation remains stable at 1.2%

[SINGAPORE] Economists expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to leave policy settings unchanged at its January review next week, with any tightening to be made in April or July at the earliest.

Still, they anticipate the official inflation forecast range to rise to 1-2 per cent on Jan 29, signalling a more hawkish stance. This would be up from a current range of 0.5-1.5 per cent for both core and headline inflation.

Singapore’s core inflation for 2025, which excludes private transport and accommodation, came in at 0.7 per cent, data from the Department of Statistics showed on Friday (Jan 23).