Korea: Inflation rises in March from February
Latest reading: Consumer prices were up 2.2% in annual terms in March, following a 2.0% rise in the previous month.
Relative to the prior month’s figures, there were higher price pressures for housing and utilities (+1.5% in annual terms vs +1.2% in February) and transportation (+5.0% vs +1.1% in February). In contrast, there were milder price pressures for food and non-alcoholic beverages (+0.5% vs +2.1% in February) and recreation and culture (+2.8% vs +3.0% in February). Finally, the variation in clothing and footwear prices was the same as in the prior month (+2.1% in March and February).
Meanwhile, core consumer prices were up 2.2% on a year-on-year basis in March, following a 2.3% rise in the previous month.
Finally, consumer prices were up 0.34% in March on a month-on-month basis, following a 0.31% rise in the prior month.