Forecasts by National Bank of Moldova prove to be true, annual inflation rate continues decreasing

Chisinau, 13 March /MOLDPRES/ - The annual inflation rate dropped to 5.4 per cent in last February, against 6.5 per cent in January 2018 and confirms the forecasts by the National Bank of Moldova (BNM), which expects the consumer price index to decrease continuously.   

The National Statistics Bureau (BNS) has said that the annual inflation on food products stood at 8.1 per cent in February 2018, on non-food products – 2.8 per cent and on the services provided to residents – 4.7 per cent.   

At the same time, the consumer price index in last February was 100.2 per cent against the month before. The increase of the average consumer prices by 0.2 per cent was triggered by a rise in prices for food products by 0.3 per cent, for non-good goods – by 0.2 per cent and for services provided to residents – by 0.1 per cent.  

The annual inflation rate will diminish continuously, from 7.3 per cent, recorded in December 2017, to about 2.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018. Subsequently, the inflation rate will return to the variation interval of plus/minus 1.5 percentage points from the target of 5 per cent in the second quarter of 2019, according to the inflation report No 1. BNM in last February revised downwards the inflation rate forecast for this year at 3.7 per cent, against 4 per cent, as it anticipated in the inflation report No 4, launched in November 2017.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)