SANTIAGO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Consumer Price Index (CPI) edged up 0.1 percent in September, falling slightly short of market expectations and bringing the year-to-date increase to 3.5 percent, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said Tuesday.
In the 12 months ending in September, the annual inflation rate eased to 4.1 percent, marking the first decline since March.
According to the INE, seven of the 13 categories that make up the CPI basket drove monthly inflation down, while five pushed the rate up, with one category remaining unchanged.
The INE highlighted a 0.5-percent decline in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages last month, a 3.3-percent increase in the price of clothing and footwear, and a 0.9-percent rise in the price of household equipment and maintenance.
In 2022, the South American country's inflation registered a three-decade high of 12.8 percent amid an economic crisis.
By the end of 2023, inflation was down to 3.9 percent, with consumer prices expected to continue their downward trend this year. ■
