The FINANCIAL — Consumer prices in Malaysia rose a higher-than-expected 3.3% in July from a year earlier, led by increases in the prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, official data released on August 19 show, according to Nasdaq.
The consumer price index expanded 0.8% from June, the Department of Statistics data show.
The CPI, the country’s main gauge of inflation, had been expected to rise by 2.9% in July from a year earlier, according to a median forecast of nine economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.
The year-over-year rise compares with June’s 2.5% gain.
The latest CPI gain was led by a 13.3% increase in the index for the alcoholic beverages and tobacco group, the government department said.
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