Thailand: Inflation comes in just below target in December
Thai consumer prices were virtually unchanged in December over the prior month, as prices rose a meager 0.01% month-on-month. This contrasted the 0.13% decline registered in November. The marginal uptick reflected pricier housing and furnishing, and transportation and communication offsetting cheaper food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Meanwhile, inflationary pressures intensified but remained just below the Bank of Thailand’s target of 1.0%–4.0% as inflation came in at 0.9% in December, up from 0.2% in November. Core inflation, which excludes raw food and energy, was stable at November’s 0.5% in December.