Inflationary pressure to ease by year-end
KUALA LUMPUR: Inflationary pressure is likely to trend downwards in the remaining months of 2018 mainly driven by the price of fuel which will no longer be f loated on a weekly basis and pegged to the present price.
Sunway University Business School Economics Professor Dr Yeah Kim Leng said the measure, which was introduced in May 2018 by the new government, would cushion any inflationary pressure.
“It will provide a dampening effect on inf lationary pressure until the government decides to change (the policy),” he told Bernama in response to the higher Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded for May.
The CPI rose 1.8 per cent ,yearon-year, in May to 121.1 from 119 previously prompted by costlier fuel and, food and non- alcoholic beverages.
The index for the transport group rose 3.8 per cent in May 2018 while food and nonalcohol ic beverages, which accounted for 29.5 per cent of the CPI, rose 2.2 per cent.
The CPI measures changes in the price level of market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.
It is one of several price indices calculated by national statistical agencies and the annual percentage change is used as a measure of inf lation.
Between January- May, the CPI registered an increase of 1.7 per cent against the same period last year.
The Finance Mini s t ry had announced, earlier this month, that the government had allocated RM3 billion to subsidise pump prices until the year- end to fixed RON95 fuel and diesel at RM2.20 and RM2.18 per litre, respectively, while RON97 was f loated on a weekly basis.
Yeah said May’s higher CPI was broadly within market expectat ion and was sti l l manageable as it was still below the 2.0 per cent mark.
Echoing Yeah’s sentiment, Inter-Pacific Securities Sdn Bhd Head of Research Pong Teng Siew said stable oil prices and the removal of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would see CPI easing off by year- end.
“The climb is at a moderate pace. Going forward with the zero- rated GST, we expect the CPI to drop in June and perhaps maintain a moderate rate for the rest of the year,” he added. — Bernama