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Thailand: April headline consumer prices rise 0.38%
Annual headline consumer prices rose less than expected in April, Commerce Ministry data showed on Monday, giving policymakers room to keep monetary policy loose to aid economic recovery.
Headline consumer prices rose for a 13th straight month in April, up 0.38% from a year earlier, its slowest pace in six months, compared with the 0.71% rise forecast in a Reuters poll.
In March, consumer prices rose 0.76% from a year earlier.
The Commerce Ministry predicts headline inflation will be 1.5-2.2% this year while the Bank of Thailand forecasts 1.2%, within its target range of 1-4%.
The core inflation rate, which excludes raw food and energy prices, edged up 0.50% in April, compared with a rise of 0.54% seen in the poll, and against a 0.62% increase in March.
Inflation in Thailand has been contained by state price controls, subsidies and sluggish domestic consumption.
The central bank has left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.50%, near the record low, since a cut in April 2015.
It next reviews monetary policy on May 24. Most economists expect no policy change through 2017.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1241835/april-headline-consumer-prices-rise-0-38-