Taiwan Inflation Eases To 4-month Low

(RTTNews) - Taiwan's consumer price inflation moderated further in August to the lowest level in four months, data released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics showed on Tuesday.

The consumer price index, or CPI, rose 2.04 percent year-on-year in August, slower than the 2.52 percent rise in July. The expected inflation rate was 2.3 percent. Moreover, inflation is now almost in line with the central bank's target of 2.0 percent.

The upward trend in inflation was mainly because the index for fuels and lubricants rose 11.86 percent due to the low base from last year, the agency said.

Food inflation softened to 0.79 percent from 2.49 percent, and housing inflation slowed slightly to 2.31 percent from 2.32 percent. Health costs also grew at a weaker rate of 0.61 percent, while the annual price growth in transportation and communication accelerated to 2.77 percent from 2.72 percent.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged up 0.13 percent.

Data also showed that producer price inflation eased somewhat to 16.75 percent in August from 17.80 percent in July.