Singapore June Core Inflation Rises 4.2%, Matches Forecast

INFLATION - SINGAPORE. Singapore's key consumer price gauge rose 4.2% in June, matching economists' forecasts, official data showed on Monday.

Inflation was lower as prices of food and energy eased, according to a joint statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the trade ministry.

"Global supply chain frictions, energy and food commodity prices have moderated," they said.

The core inflation rate - which excludes private road transport and accommodation costs - rose 4.2% year-on-year in June, in line with a Reuters poll of economists, and easing from 4.7% in May.

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Headline inflation was up 4.5% year-on-year in June, compared with a forecast 4.55% increase in a Reuters poll, and 5.1% in May.

Authorities said core prices should moderate further in the second half of the year.

Core inflation was expected to average 3.5% to 4.5% while headline inflation was forecast at 4.5 to 5.5% this year, according to the government.

Economists are generally expecting MAS to keep monetary policy settings unchanged in the next review in October on a weak growth outlook and the still elevated but easing inflation.

The MAS left the monetary policy settings unchanged in April, after tightening five times in a row since October 2021, reflecting concerns over the city-state's growth outlook.

Singapore's economy narrowly dodged a recession in the second quarter of 2023, preliminary data showed, though economists cautioned of a possible downward revision in final data.