Ukraine sees 0.3% deflation in Aug
KYIV. Sept 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Ukraine saw deflation of 0.3% in August, compared to 0.2% in July, the State Statistics Service said Thursday.
Consumer prices fell for a fourth straight month: in May and June deflation was also 0.3%.
Deflation in the first eight months of the year has reached 0.4%. In annual terms - from August 2011 - consumer prices are unchanged.
Food and soft drink prices dropped 0.5% from the previous month in August. Fruit and vegetable prices fell hardest at 7.9% and 6.7%, respectively. Prices went down 0.5%-0.3% for audio, camera and information processing equipment, clothes and footwear and household appliances. Prices climbed 0.1% for housing, water, electricity, gas and other types of fuel. Passenger rail transport prices fell 0.5%.
Inflation in 2011 dropped to 4.6% from 9.1% the previous year and was at its lowest since Ukraine's independence in 1991. The 2012 budget is based on an inflation forecast of 7.9%.