Malaysia Jan CPI at 3.2%

Malaysia’s consumer price index rose 3.2% in January from a year earlier, its highest since February last year, government data showed on Wednesday. Reuters reported. The figure was above the 2.8% growth forecast in a Reuters poll, and above the 1.8% rise in December. January’s inflation rate was driven by higher prices of food and housing, utilities and transport costs, data from the Statistics Department showed. Annual inflation reached a seven-year peak of 4.2% in February 2016, before moderating as the effects of a goods and services tax imposed in April 2015 faded.