Thai Feb headline CPI drops 1.17% year-over-year, seen down again in March

 

FILE PHOTO: A mother and her daughter shop for bananas at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's headline consumer price index in February dropped a bigger than expected 1.17% from a year ago due to lower food prices and government measures to curb living costs, particularly utility bills, the commerce ministry said.

 

The February reading, marking a 12th straight month of decline, compared with a forecast fall of 0.20% in a Reuters poll and January's 0.34 decline.

 

Without the government measures, the index would have fallen only 0.12%, ministry official Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit told a briefing on Friday.

 

The main index is likely to fall again in March but at a slower pace, he said.

 

The ministry has forecast headline inflation at 0.7-1.7% this year, with prices picking up from the second quarter.

 

In February, the core CPI index rose 0.04% from a year earlier, compared with a forecast of a 0.17% increase.

 

In January-February, the headline CPI index dropped 0.75% from a year earlier, while the core rate rose 0.12%.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-05

 

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I have been noticing an increase in the food prices around us here in the Sathon Area of Bangkok at the local Talads, not a decrease.  Been nice having my electricity bills reduced, instead of the normal 7k+ bill its been around 5400 Baht every month.  Not sure why the prices on food stuffs have increased at the local level, but I can understand the increase on the imported foods at Villa.  Of course with the increased prices the certain western foods I would buy are now being reduced or placed on sale as very few were paying the increased prices.  

20 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Been nice having my electricity bills reduced, instead of the normal 7k+ bill 

A month ? Dear God, that's like at least 7 or 8 times mine. You must have the aircon on all day, have a dozen freezers and run the village pool ! ????

12 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

A month ? Dear God, that's like at least 7 or 8 times mine. You must have the aircon on all day, have a dozen freezers and run the village pool ! ????

well, he obviously has some money...

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

A month ? Dear God, that's like at least 7 or 8 times mine. You must have the aircon on all day, have a dozen freezers and run the village pool ! ????

No, we just have a large penthouse condo with 4 air-conditioning units one in each room of course as well as the central in ceiling unit for the living room and kitchen. Only use the one in the actual  room we are in and the doors get shut to the other rooms. With the blinds closed.  Run the units at 25. At night when we sleep the only AC on is in the bedroom and we set it down to 24 to get a restful night's sleep. Have a large refrigerator, freezer, and wine refrigerator.  Run the 4 air purifiers which are in each room when we are in them only.  Hot water heater runs only when we turn it on.   We do cook almost all meals in our home and rarely eat out.  Only home half of the day. Of course we do have a washer and a dryer and do at least one load a day between work clothes and fitness clothes.  In the states my electric bill averaged $650 a month or close to 20k baht.  Water bill is cheap at only 214 baht per month here. Maybe the excess comes from the fish tank that is a 200 liter tank with a always running filtration system.

 

 

 

16 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

we set it down to 24 to get a restful night's sleep

Do you have a nice 13 TOG duck-down duvet as well?    LOL

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Do you have a nice 13 TOG duck-down duvet as well?    LOL

Have you been peeking through my bedroom window...lol