Consumer prices advanced 1.3% in October from a year earlier, moderating from a 1.6% clip in September and easing for a third straight month, the statistics office reported Tuesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast the pace of price growth would be 1.4%.
The Finance Ministry in a statement welcomed the number as a sign that the downward trend in inflation is firming. It attributed the cooling to falling prices for oil and agricultural products, in particular.
The latest data come just ahead of the US election, an event that could have implications for South Korea’s trade-dependent economy as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris spar over trade policy. While the latest inflation number turned out as expected, the aftermath of the race will overshadow South Korea’s outlook and could prompt the central bank to cut faster than expected, said Lee Jung-hoon, an economist at Eugene Investment & Securities Co.
Last month the Bank of Korea conducted a policy pivot by cutting the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.25%. That decision was supported by moderating inflation, which slipped below the central bank’s 2% target, and cooling Seoul property prices.
The BOK nonetheless looks to hold its rate unchanged when it meets on Nov. 28, most economists say, with policymakers seeking to assess the impact of the October move as they stay wary for any signs the housing market might heat up again.
“The BOK is likely to remain cautious given prospects for inflation to rebound in coming months on reduced fuel tax cuts and an increase in industrial electricity rates. It probably also wants more time to assess how its October rate cut is impacting home prices in Seoul, household debt, and the won,” said economist Hyosung Kwon.
A cooling export rally has added uncertainties to South Korea’s growth outlook in recent weeks, which comes on top of weak private spending and lingering credit risks in the construction industry. Risks stemming from the US election this week and the Middle East conflict also are weighing on economic sentiment.
Those factors have bolstered the case for the central bank to accelerate its easing cycle next year.
How global central banks like the Federal Reserve proceed along their own paths toward policy easing in coming months will influence the BOK’s rate trajectory.
Consumer prices rose sharply after governments around the world provided economic stimulus to shore up their economies during the coronavirus pandemic. Having ratcheted rates higher to tame inflation that resulted from the stimulus, many central banks shifted to easing cycles this year after price growth slowed.
In another sign that inflationary pressure has been reined in, South Korea’s prices excluding energy and foods rose 1.8% from a year earlier in October, slowing from a 2% pace in September, according to Tuesday’s data.
A separate cost-of-living index managed by Statistics Korea increased 1.2% from a year earlier, a slower pace compared with 1.5% in September. Another index measuring the prices of fresh foods rose 1.6%, also cooler than the 3.4% clip recorded in September.
The BOK has seen the slowdown in inflation as a key condition for a policy easing along with real estate prices in the greater Seoul area. Board members feel confident that their restrictive policy has helped cool consumer prices but remain wary of housing prices being reignited as they proceed with further rate cuts.