Egypt’s Headline Inflation Hikes in September

Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation increased to 6.6% in September from 5.7% in August, data from the country’s statistics agency CAPMAS showed. The rate remains well within the target range of between 5% and 9% set by the central bank, which meets on Oct. 28 to decide interest rates. “Monthly inflation is higher than we had anticipated. It’s mainly explained by the jump in vegetable and meat prices.

The food index is up 3.5% month on month,” said Allen Sandeep of Naeem Brokerage. The central bank held rates steady at its last meeting on Sept. 16, saying that global financial conditions continued to be “accommodative.” Egypt’s fuel pricing committee also raised domestic prices in a quarterly review on Friday. Core inflation, which strips out volatile items such as food, rose to 4.8% year-on-year in September, from 4.5% a month prior.