Korea: Inflation accelerates in October from September
Latest reading: Consumer prices were up 2.4% in annual terms in October, following a 2.1% rise in the prior month. October’s inflation marked the highest rate since July 2024, surpassing market expectations. A weaker won fanned price growth for food and energy.
Relative to the prior month’s data, there were higher price pressures for transportation (+3.4% on a year-on-year basis vs +1.2% in September), food and non-alcoholic beverages (+3.5% vs +3.3% in September), recreation and culture (+2.1% vs +0.7% in September) and clothing and footwear (+2.1% vs +1.8% in September). Finally, the variation in housing and utilities prices was the same as in the prior month (+1.2% in October and September).
Meanwhile, core consumer prices were up 2.2% on a year-on-year basis in October, following a 2.0% increase in the prior month.
Lastly, consumer prices were up 0.31% in October in month-on-month terms, also exceeding market expectations, following a 0.52% increase in the previous month.