In a surprising turn, Malaysia's consumer price inflation experienced a slight decrease in November, as reported by the Department of Statistics on Friday. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1.8% compared to the same period last year, down from a 1.9% increase in October. This defied economists' predictions, who had anticipated a rise to 2.1%.
Core inflation, however, held steady at 1.8%. In terms of specific sectors, transport charges slowed to an annual increase of 0.4%, down from a 0.7% rise in October. In contrast, housing and utility expenses saw a marginal increase, growing at a rate of 3.2%.
The data further revealed that the yearly decline in the information and communication sector intensified, dropping to 3.9% from the previous month's 1.7%. On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices decreased by 0.1% in November, following a 0.2% rise in October.
