Annual inflation rate drops to lowest 2.4-per cent level of 2018 in Moldova

Chisinau, 10 October /MOLDPRES/ - The annual inflation rate in last September dropped to the lowest level of 2018, respectively 2.4 per cent, against 3.2 per cent in August this year. The data made public by the National Statistics Bureau (BNS) today thus confirm a forecast of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM), which expects the consumer price index to diminish by late 2018.

The disinflation tendencies, signaled this year, will continue to maintain in the next months too, the BNM first deputy governor, Vladimir Munteanu, said while presenting the inflation report No 3 in early last August. According to Munteanu, the annual inflation rate will diminish from 3.2 per cent recorded in June 2018 to 1.9 per cent on average for the fourth quarter of this year, below the lower limit of the variation interval plus/minus 1.5 percentage points from the five-per cent inflation target.  

Official statistics shows that the inflation rate for food products stood at 5.3 per cent in last September, for non-food products – 2.6 per cent, for the services provided to residents – minus 2.5 per cent. In September 2018, the consumer price index increased insignificantly, by 0.1 per cent against the month before.   

Statisticians found out that the increase in the average consumer prices by 0.1 per cent had been triggered by the growth of prices for non-food products by 0.4 per cent, decrease in the tariffs for providing services to residents by 0.1 per cent, as well as by the maintenance of the prices for food products at the level of August 2018.   

At the same time, the National Statistics Bureau informed that the consumer prices in last September had had a negative tendency of 0.4 per cent, being influenced by the drop in prices for food products – by 0.4 per cent and diminution of tariffs for providing services to residents by 2.7 per cent.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)