14:23, 15 ноября 2024, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Baktygul OSMONALIEVA
Inflation estimates of Kyrgyzstanis showed a noticeable decrease in October after a sharp increase in September. The macroeconomic study of consumer confidence of residents of Central Asian countries for October 2024, which was conducted by Freedom Finance Global, says.
If 30.8 percent of respondents felt a very strong increase in prices over the past month in September, then such figures were 26.6 percent in October. Estimates of price growth over the past 12 months also fell. In October, 47.8 percent of Kyrgyzstanis noted an acceleration in price growth, while this figure was 50.7 percent in September. Official October data on annual inflation indicate its slowdown from 4.9 percent to 4.8 percent after a sharp rise in September.
Inflation expectations of Kyrgyzstanis have not fallen as significantly as inflation estimates, and even generally remained at the same relatively low levels. The share of respondents expecting a faster increase in prices in the next 12 months has increased from 12.9 to 13.7 percent. The share of those who believe that prices will rise very strongly in the next month, on the contrary, has fallen from 8.7 to 7.7 percent.
Among the certain goods and services for which residents noticed the greatest price increase, as in other Central Asian countries, the category ’Meat and Poultry’ was again noted, which held the first place for the second month in a row.
However, the share of respondents who chose it fell from a record 51.6 percent to 47.7 percent. At the same time, flour is slightly behind in this indicator, and reached 47.2 percent in October.
«We also note that in general, the list of the top 5 goods for which the greatest price increase is noticeable has not changed for 14 months in a row. In October, 45.3 percent of respondents noticed a strong increase in prices for vegetable oil, 32.6 percent for vegetables and fruits, and 31.7 percent for sugar and salt in addition to the above-mentioned products. In general, we note that many more people noticed an increase in prices for many goods and services in October compared to September. In addition, there is a sharp monthly increase in the price of fruits by 5.9 percent MoM and vegetables by 3.7 percent MoM due to seasonal factors. We also note that meat became the most expensive commodity among staple foodstuffs in per year terms. Over the last year, meat prices increased by 9.5 percent, while overall food products showed growth of only 2.5 percent YoY,» the report says.