FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Malaysia's Headline Inflation Rises Marginally to 2% in May

By

Malaysia's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 2% year over year in May, according to data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia on Friday.

The reading was below the consensus forecast of 2.1% growth tracked by Investing.com, and compared with a 1.9% expansion recorded in the previous month.

The headline movement was driven by increases in information and communication, food and beverages, house and related utilities, as well as recreation and sports.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile items, remained steady at 2% when compared with the previous month.

On a month-over-month basis, Malaysia's headline CPI climbed 0.1%, compared with a 0.4% increase in the previous month.

Related Articles

International

New Zealand March Quarter GDP Data Shows Monetary Policy Easing was Working, Jarden Says

The March quarter New Zealand gross domestic product (GDP) data showed that monetary policy easing was working, but through business investment and trade rather than the consumer, Jarden said in a note late on Thursday.New Zealand's GDP rose 0.8% on a quarterly basis in the March quarter, but slightly below the 1% forecasted by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). The December GDP was revised up to 0.5% from 0.2%, lifting annual growth to 1.5% through the year.GDP per capita rose just 0.5% in the March quarter after a flat December quarter. The resilience in the period came from the parts of the economy that cool slowly when rates rise. Consumer confidence has partly recovered but remains significantly below the long run average, Jarden noted.The upward revision to late-2025 activity leaves the level of output higher than the RBNZ assumed in May, the investment firm said. As a result, the negative output gap was smaller than it carried into the forecast. A narrower gap means a rate hike in July is "very likely." It also expects another rate hike in September to a terminal 3% by the end of 2027.

^NZ50
International

Japan's Core Inflation Stalls in May; Headline Inflation Quickens

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food prices, rose 1.4% year over year in May, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released on Friday.The reading was in line with the consensus forecast tracked by Investing.com, and was unchanged from the 1.4% expansion recorded in the previous month.Meanwhile, headline inflation accelerated to 1.5% from 1.4% the previous month, but was lower than the Trading Economics forecast of 1.6%.On a month-over-month basis, Japan's core CPI climbed 0.4% following the zero change between March and April.The seasonally adjusted month-over-month headline inflation also quickened to 0.4% in May from 0.1% in April.

Nikkei 225
International

New Zealand Records NZ$800 Million Goods Trade Surplus in May

New Zealand recorded a goods trade surplus of NZ$800 million in May, compared with a surplus of NZ$1.6 billion in April, Stats NZ data showed on Friday.Goods exports rose 18% to NZ$8.88 billion, while imports rose 26% to NZ$8.08 billion.Exports were driven by a 43% increase in meat and edible offal, while mechanical machinery and equipment recorded the largest decline, falling 11%.Petroleum and petroleum products led the increase in imports, rising 104%, while ships, boats, and floating structures led the decline, falling 91%.In the year ended May, New Zealand recorded a trade deficit of NZ$3.37 billion, compared with a trade deficit of NZ$4.01 billion in the year ended May 2025.

^NZ50