MEXICO CITY, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Mexico’s 12-month inflation rate accelerated more than expected in the first half of September, while core inflation continued to ease, data from national statistics agency INEGI showed on Thursday.
• Annual inflation in Latin America’s second-largest economy hit 3.42% in the period, INEGI said, up from 3.26% a month earlier.
• Economists in a Reuters poll had forecast it to come in at 3.37%.
• Meanwhile, the closely watched core price index, which strips out some volatile food and energy prices, continued its downward trend.
• Core inflation reached 3.79% in the 12 months through early September, down from 3.93% in the first half of August and slightly below economists’ expectations of 3.81%.
• Annual core inflation is within the Bank of Mexico’s target range of 3%, plus or minus one percentage point.
• On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.33% during the first half of September, while the core price index was up 0.17%, INEGI said.
(Reporting by Isabel Teles; Additional reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Gabriel Araujo)
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