Customers shop for Tet confectionery products at a Big C supermarket in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Anh

The consumer price index (CPI) inched up 0.06 per cent in January against December last year, and down 0.97 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Head of the GSO’s Price Statistics Department Do Thi Ngoc said the core inflation (CPI excluding food items, energy products and commodities under the State management like medical and educational services) in January rose by 0.49 per cent year-on-year. This was the lowest increase in January in the past five years, she stressed.

The GSO said among nine groups of products and services witnessing higher prices in the reviewed period, transportation had the highest price hike of 2.3 per cent, followed by restaurant and catering services (0.64 per cent), garment, hat and footwear (0.44 per cent), education services (0.33 per cent), beverage and tobacco (0.32 per cent), and other goods and services (0.24 per cent).

Meanwhile, two groups saw their prices decrease, including house and construction materials (down 2.31 per cent) and post and telecommunication service (down 0.1 per cent).

The GSO said the rise in January’s CPI was fueled by a surge in the demand for goods to prepare for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, high prices of foods and foodstuff, and increase in gas prices to keep up with swings in the global market.

The gold price picked up 2.17 per cent month-on-month in January, while the price of the US dollar decreased 0.16 per cent. — VNS