JAKARTA: Indonesia said Thursday that inflation in Southeast Asia's biggest economy edged up in October as the price of processed food, drinks and tobacco increased.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.61 percent from a year earlier, up from a 4.31-percent rise in September, the Central Statistics Agency said.
The price of processed food -- defined in Indonesia as any food that is prepared before being sold -- drinks and tobacco rose 0.38 percent, while the price of gold jewellery was up 2.48 percent.
Month-on-month inflation was recorded at 0.16 percent, from a 0.01 percent increase in September.
"These figures show that people's purchasing power is going up, and further causing non-food consumption to increase as well," said chief economist at Bank International Indonesia, Juniman, who goes by one name.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food prices, reached 4.59 percent, up from 4.12 percent in September.
The inflation rate is still within the central bank's target range of 3.5 to 5.5 percent, allowing the bank room to keep its benchmark interest rate at a record-low 5.75 percent, where it has been since February.
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