Checkout magazine has learnt that the combined effect of monetary and fiscal policies so far in the country has resulted in a significant slowdown in previous quantum leaps in costs of living.
But, the strains from the recent past will keep prices slightly elevated in the meantime, intelligence reports by many economic and finance firms surveyed yesterday showed.
There was an indication that the inflation rate for last month, billed for release today by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) may rise by some 40 to 50 basis points.
This contrasts with the increase of 180 basis points in January and 98 basis points in February.
Ahead of the release by the NBS, independent consumer surveys and econometric models showed that inflation remained on the rise, although the momentum of price increases has slowed down.
The reports indicated that inflation may rise from 31.70 per cent in February to 32.20 per cent in March.
The Bureau reported that the inflation rate rose by 180 basis points from 29.90 per cent in January to 31.70 per cent in February.
A survey by Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) indicated “significant declines in prices of various food commodities, especially imported commodities, while stability was observed in others”.
