Thai September headline CPI rises 2.82% on year, below forecast

Vendors arrange vegetables at their stall at a fresh market in Bangkok, Thailand, April 30, 2026. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Athit Perawongmetha Reuters BANGKOK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Thailand's headline consumer price index rose 2.82% in September from a year earlier, after a 2.53% annual increase in the previous month, driven by higher fuel and food prices, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. • The reading compared with a forecast rise of 3.06% in a Reuters poll, and remained within the central bank's inflation target range of 1% to 3%. • The ministry expects the headline CPI to rise further in the fourth quarter, with October's pace seen accelerating from September, Nantapong Chiralerspong, head of the ministry's Trade Policy and Strategy Office, told a briefing. • Recent flooding is expected to have only a small impact on inflation, he said. • The ministry adjusted its 2026 inflation forecast to 1.8% to 2.2% from a previous estimate of 1.5% to 2.5%, taking into account the impact of the floods, he said. • January-September headline inflation averaged 1.54%. • The core CPI, which excludes volatile energy and fresh food prices, rose 1.50% in September from a year earlier, in line with a 1.54% forecast rise. • Last month, assistant central bank governor Don Nakornthab told Reuters that monetary policy is "very, very accommodative". • The central bank left its key interest rate unchanged at 1.00% at a review in August. Its next rate meeting is on October 28. (Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon; Editing by John Mair) Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 11:15 PM .

Source: Idaho Statesman