Peru: Inflation inches down in March
Consumer prices in Metropolitan Lima jumped 0.65% over the previous month in March, up from February’s 0.14% increase. March’s rise was chiefly the result of higher prices for food and beverages and for education and culture, which more than offset lower prices for housing, energy and transport and communications.
Meanwhile, inflation ticked down from February’s 1.9% to 1.8% in March, thus moving further below the midpoint of Central Bank’s target range of 2.0% plus or minus 1.0 percentage points. In March, core consumer prices, which exclude energy and food prices, increased 0.4% from the previous month, up from February’s 0.2% rise. Finally, core inflation in March came in at 1.8%, down from the previous month’s 2.2%.