Financial Wire

Malaysia's Inflation Quickens to 1.7% in March

-- Malaysia's consumer price index rose 1.7% annually in March, up from 1.6% in February, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said Friday.

The latest reading was below the 1.8% growth forecast by Trading Economics.

The increase was mainly driven by the transport group, which rose 1.6% compared with 0.7% a month earlier, alongside gains in personal care and miscellaneous goods, insurance and financial services, and restaurant and accommodation services.

Compared with the previous month, inflation edged up 0.3%, quicker than 0.2% in February, supported by higher transport and communication costs.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile items, climbed to 2.1% during the month from 2% a month prior, data showed.

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Malaysia's Inflation Quickens to 1.7% in March | Financial Wire