Cool-down in core inflation print won't deter MAS from tightening soon: Analysts

CORE inflation came in a shade below analyst expectations in February - but the latest reading is not expected to deter the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from tightening policy next month.

That's as policymakers will have to contend with a rise in food and fuel prices, exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the growing threat of "stagflation".

"The Ukraine-Russia conflict intensified in March and both food and energy prices surged," Maybank senior economist Chua Hak Bin told The Business Times (BT) in an e-mail. "Core inflation likely jumped."