Qatar December Inflation Down

Qatar’s inflation rate fell to 1.8% in December, the lowest mark in 2016, according to latest official figures, Arabian Business reported. Qatar’s Statistics Authority released the December consumer price data, showing the inflation rate fell from 2% in Novemberand from 2.7% in December 2015. The figures showed that housing and utility costs, which account for 22% of the consumer basket, rose 1.1% from a year earlier while food and beverage costs, which account for nearly 13%, sank 3.2%. Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund said that Qatar’s real GDP growth is expected to moderate to about 2.7% in 2016 but is projected to reach 3.4% in 2017.