SINGAPORE, 23rd August, 2024 (WAM) -- Singapore’s core inflation slowed more than expected in July, opening the room for the island nation's central bank to consider loosening monetary policy settings later this year, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Core prices, which exclude private transport and accommodation costs, rose 2.5 percent from a year ago, according to a statement from the Department of Statistics Singapore on Friday. That was slower than the 2.9 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists, and marks the second straight month of deceleration after printing 2.9 percent in June.
The all-items inflation came in at a slower-than-expected 2.4 percent, matching the pace in June. On a month-on-month basis, the headline measure declined 0.3 percent after a 0.2 percent decrease in the prior month.
While the MAS forecasts the trend of slowing price gains to continue, the steeper than expected cooling allows policymakers the room to weigh monetary policy easing when it reviews settings next in October. The monetary authority, which uses the exchange rate as its main policy tool rather than interest rates, has for now maintained that the current tight settings remain appropriate.
It previously said that core inflation is expected to slow “further to around 2 percent in 2025” after averaging 2.5 percent–3.5 percent this year.