Thai December headline inflation rate seen easing to 0.84 percent - Reuters poll

[webfact]

Thai December headline inflation rate seen easing to 0.84 percent - Reuters poll

 

FILE PHOTO - People shop at a department store in Bangkok, Thailand, July 1, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's annual headline inflation rate in December may have slowed slightly from the previous month and stayed below the central bank's target range for a second straight month, a Reuters poll showed.

 

The median forecast of 11 economists was for the headline consumer price index (CPI) to rise 0.84 percent in December from a year earlier. In November, the index was up 0.94 percent.

 

The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has forecast headline inflation of 1.1 percent this year, against its 1-4 percent target range.

 

It sees headline inflation at 1.0 percent in 2019.

 

The core inflation rate, which strips out energy and fresh food prices, was seen at 0.70 percent in December, after November's 0.69 percent, according to the poll.

 

Last week, the BOT raised its policy interest rate <THCBIR=ECI> by 25 basis points to 1.75 percent, the first tightening since 2011.

It will next review monetary policy on Feb. 6, when most analysts expect no policy change.

 

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Sunil Nair)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-27

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

against its 1-4 percent target range.

That's like,

Pick a number between 1 and a 100.

If you do, you win.

A 399-point spread range is meaningless.

[fullcave]

They will need to increase debt in order to reach their inflationary goals. More public funded projects in strategic locations before the re-election to sure up the vote should hit the target nicely.