KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's consumer price index (CPI) measuring headline inflation rose 0.2% in August 2018, the lowest rate in 42 months due mainly to the lower impact in the cost of fuels.
For the January to August period, CPI rose 1.3% as compared to the same period last year.
The National Statistics Department revealed the transport index increased 2.1% in August from a year earlier. This compares to 6.7% growth in July.
In other indices, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased 2%, education rose 1.1%, retaurants and hotels added 0.7% and food and non-alcoholic beverages edged 0.4% higher.
In terms of overall CPI, three states surpassed the national CPI rate of 0.2% in August 2018 as compared to the same month last year.
The states were Negeri Sembilan (0.6%), Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (0.5%) and Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya (0.3%). Pulau Pinang and Johor showed the same rate as the national CPI.
The higher increase in the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages as compared to the overall CPI was reflected in most states in Malaysia.
Two states recorded higher increases for food and non-alcoholic beverages above the national index level of 0.4% in August 2018 as compared to the corresponding month in 2017.
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak registered 2.9% and 0.7% increases respectively.
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