KUALA LUMPUR: Inflation in Malaysia likely rose in December due mainly to an unfavorable comparison with the year-ago period and a weak local currency.
The consumer-price index, the country’s main gauge of inflation, likely rose 2.8% in December from a year earlier, according to the median forecast of nine economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. This would be higher than the 2.6% year-over-year rise in November.
Economists said the weak local currency also added to the overall increase in the index as imports became costlier. The Malaysian ringgit recently fell to multi-year lows.