Inflation rate hits 39-month high, RPI up slightly

Malta’s rate of inflation, according to statistics released yesterday by the National Statistics Office, continued to rise in December. The figure rose to 2.93 per cent, the highest rate registered since September 1998.

Meanwhile, the retail price index, rose minimally by 0.24 per cent over December’s monitoring activities.

The sections monitored for index purposes included food, personal care and health and other goods and services.

The Food items index rose by 0.94 points, 0.78 per cent over that of the previous month. Average price increases were registered in the cost of fresh meat, bacon, ham and tinned meat, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits – while price cuts were recorded for fresh fish and potatoes.