MANILA — Philippine annual inflation was 1.7% in September, rising from the previous month’s 1.5% rate, driven by increases in housing and utilities and food and beverage prices, the statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The inflation print was below the median forecast of 2.0% in a Reuters poll of economists. Last month’s rate brought inflation to a 1.7% average for the first nine months of the year.
Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was at 2.6%, close to the previous month’s 2.7%.
The central bank had forecast inflation in a range of 1.5% to 2.3% for September.
—Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair
