Brunei's CPI drops slightly in January

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Brunei has recorded a 0.1 percent drop in overall prices for January this year compared to the same month in 2018, amid decreases in the prices of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance.

Consumer price index (CPI) data released by the Department of Economic Planning and Development at the Ministry of Finance and Economy on Monday showed that a drop in prices for furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (1.6 percent) was recorded for the period.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.5 percent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.7 percent) also saw decreases in their prices.

Price hikes were recorded for health (2.7 percent), recreation and culture (1.1 percent) and for transport (0.7 percent).

On a month-on-month basis, Brunei's CPI for January represented a 0.3 percent decrease compared to December of last year.