Singapore's key consumer price gauge rose 3.8% in July, matching economists' forecasts, official data showed on Wednesday.

The core inflation rate - which excludes private road transport and accommodation costs - climbed 3.8% year-on-year in July, in line with a Reuters poll of economists, easing from 4.2% in June.

The July headline inflation was up 4.1% from the same month last year, as forecast in the poll.

"Global supply chain frictions have largely eased, and energy and food commodity prices remain below year-ago levels," said a joint statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the trade ministry.

Economists are generally expecting MAS, the central bank, to keep monetary policy settings unchanged in the next review in October on a weak growth outlook and still-elevated but easing inflation.

The MAS left the monetary policy settings unchanged in April, after tightening five times in a row since October 2021, reflecting concerns over the city-state's growth outlook.

Earlier this month, Singapore downgraded slightly its economic forecast for this year after it narrowly averted a recession in the second quarter. (Reporting by Chen Lin; Editing by Martin Petty)