Japan: Core inflation inches up un March
The core consumer price index was flat in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted terms in March, coming in below February’s 0.1% increase.
Core inflation inched up from February’s 0.7% to 0.8% in March. The reading was a notch above the 0.7% that market analysts had expected. Nevertheless, inflation remained well below the Bank of Japan’s inflation target of 2.0%. Overall inflation rose from February’s 0.2% to 0.5% in March.
Core inflation in the Ku-area of Tokyo inched down from February’s 1.2% to 1.1% in March. Data for April will be released on 26 April.