Taipei, Feb 5 (IANS): Taiwan's consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.81 percent year-on- year in January, higher than the 0.33 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, the authorities said on Friday.
The rise eased concerns about deflation as Taipei's CPI dropped 0.31 percent in 2015, the first yearly decline in six years, Xinhua news agency reported.
The rise in January was attributed mainly to price increases for household electricity, fruits, vegetables and aquatic products. The core CPI, which excludes price of fruits, vegetables and energy products, rose 0.6 percent year on year.
The wholesale price index (WPI) declined 4.82 percent last month, narrowing from a plunge of 8.84 percent for the whole year of 2015. The WPI has witnessed drops for four consecutive years.
The wholesale price decline was mainly due to price drops of metal, crude oil, coal and chemical products.