Hong Kong’s consumer price inflation accelerated marginally in December, mainly due to the enlarged increases in the prices of fresh vegetables, figures from the Census and Statistics Department showed Thursday.
The consumer price index rose 2.5 percent year-over-year in December, following a 2.4 percent stable rate of climb in the preceding month.
Excluding the effects of all government’s one-off relief measures, core inflation held steady at 2.4 at the end of the year.
Food prices, excluding meals bought away from home, grew 4.4 percent annually in December and housing costs went up by 3.9 percent.
For 2015 as a whole, the composite consumer price index was on average 3.0 percent higher that in the previous 12-month period, the agency said.
“Looking ahead, the upside risks to inflation should remain contained in the near term, as low global inflation amid soft international commodity prices will likely keep external price pressure at bay, and as local cost increases will likely be restrained by the subpar economic conditions,” a government spokesman said.
“The Government will continue to monitor the inflation developments closely, particularly its impact on the lower-income people.”
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