Malaysia: Inflation accelerates in March from the prior month
Latest reading: Consumer prices rose 1.7% in annual terms in March, following a 1.4% increase in the prior month. March’s reading was the strongest since November 2024.
Relative to the prior month’s figures, there were higher price pressures for housing and utilities (+1.2% on a year-on-year basis vs +1.1% in February), transportation (+1.6% vs -0.7% in February) and recreation services and culture (+1.0% vs +0.8% in February). In contrast, price pressures reduced for food and non-alcoholic beverages in March (+1.1% vs +1.3% in February).
Finally, consumer prices rose 0.29% in March on a month-on-month basis, following a 0.22% rise in the prior month.