Philippine annual inflation at 7.2% in September

Philippine annual inflation at 7.2% in September MANILA, Oct 6 : Philippine annual inflation accelerated to 7.2 per cent in September from 6.1 per cent in August, the statistics agency said on Tuesday. • Economists in a Reuters poll had expected annual inflation of 6.6 per cent. • The September reading was within the central bank's forecast of 6.4 per cent to 7.4 per cent. • The statistics agency said the rise in the inflation rate was driven by increases in prices of rice, electricity and other fuels, and transport. • The annual core inflation rate, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was 4.7 per cent last month.