BANGKOK -- Thailand's headline inflation rose for the second straight month in May, marking the highest rate in 13 months, due to rising energy prices and higher prices of agricultural products stemming from the extremely hot weather, official data showed on Friday.

The consumer price index (CPI) jumped 1.54 percent last month from a year earlier, accelerating from a 0.19-percent increase in April, according to the Ministry of Commerce. (Thailand-Inflation)

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's central bank Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced that it has kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 percent.

Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks in the event of a shortfall of funds. (India-Central Bank-Rate)

- - - -

TOKYO -- Japan's real household spending gained 0.5 percent in April from a year earlier although consumption remained sluggish amid soaring prices, government data showed on Friday.

Households of two or more people spent an average of 313,300 yen (about 2,000 U.S. dollars), reversing the 1.2-percent fall in March with the first increase in 14 months, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Japan-Household Spending-April)

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea's industrial lending grew faster in the first quarter due to solid demand from manufacturers and builders, central bank data showed Friday.

Debt, owed by all industries to deposit-taking financial institutions, amounted to 1,916.6 trillion won (1.4 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of March, up by 27.0 trillion won (19.7 billion dollars) from three months earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). (South Korea-Industrial Lending) Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)