Consumer prices rose 1.2% in April, Central Bureau of Statistics says

Consumer prices continued to rise in April, led by increases in the costs of foreign travel, gasoline, and fresh fruit, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports in new data.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI), a measure of inflation that tracks the average cost of household goods, rose in April by 1.2 percent, from March. Before the announcement, analysts’ expectations were split between a 1.1% and 1.3% increase.

The monthly reading takes annual inflation over the past 12 months to 1.9%. The inflation rate is still within the government’s annual target range of between 1% and 3%.

In April, key price increases were recorded in the following categories: fresh fruit, which rose by 7.8%, transportation, increased by 4.9%, culture and entertainment, was up by 3.4%, clothing and footwear by 2.4%, and home maintenance costs by 0.5%.

Foreign travel costs soared by 27.9% and gasoline prices by 12.7%.

Rents on renewal of contracts soared 2.6% and rents on contracts for new tenants jumped 3.6%.

These were offset by a decline in the health category, which fell by 0.1%.