Higher booze, tobacco prices push April inflation up

KUALA LUMPUR:  Malaysia's inflation rate for April 2016 rose 2.1% from a year ago on higher  alcoholic beverages and tobacco prices. However, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was in line with economists' survey of 2.1%, 

The Statistics Department said on Friday the on-year increase in the CPI was however, at a slower pace compared with 2.6% on-year increase in March.

April's higher CPI was due to the 20.1% spike in the index for alcoholic beverages & tobacco; food & non-alcoholic beverages (+4.2%); restaurants & hotels (+2.7%).

“In addition, the overall index is also influenced by the decrease in prices of transport group by 5.5%; communication (-2.1%) and clothing & footwear (-0.7%). 

The department said the index for food & non-alcoholic beverages (weight: 30.2) rose 4.2% on-year basis in April 2016.  The index for non-food (weight: 69.8) recorded an increase of 1.2%.
 
“On a monthly basis, CPI for April 2016 increased 0.4% to 114.3 from 113.8. 

“CPI for the period January to April in 2016 registered an increase of 3.2% as compared to the same period last year,”it said.