https://arab.news/py4x2
- The reading reinforced a month of easing inflation which hit a historic high of 38% last year
- The central bank is expected to cut its key interest rate further at its meeting on Monday
KARACHI: Pakistan’s annual consumer price index inflation rate was 7.2% in October, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Friday, up from 6.9% the preceding month.
The reading reinforced a month of easing inflation — which hit a historic high of 38% last year, and was at 26.8% October 2023 — ahead of a meeting of the country’s central bank next week to review the policy rate, which stands at 17.5%.
A Reuters poll showed the central bank is expected to cut its key interest rate further at the meeting on Monday, with policymakers continuing their efforts to revive a fragile economy as inflation eases.
The October reading was up 1.2% month on month, the statistics bureau said, adding that the fiscal year’s average inflation, from July to October, stands at 8.7%, which is below the 9.5% projected by the International Monetary Fund.