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Saudi Arabia's Central Department of Statistics released the following March consumer price data on Tuesday.
| SAUDI CONSUMER INFLATION | 3/18 | 2/18 |
| pct change month/month | -0.2 | 0.1 |
| pct change year/year | 2.8 | 2.9 |
NOTE. In January, the statistics agency changed the base year for the consumer price index to 2013 from 2007 and adjusted the basket of goods and services, giving housing and utilities a much bigger weighting.
Food and beverage prices jumped 6.0 percent from a year earlier in March after the introduction of 5 percent value-added tax across the economy at the start of this year. Prices of housing and utilities rose 1.0 percent, while transport jumped 10.4 percent after a gasoline price hike.
(Reporting by Andrew Torchia Editing by Peter Graff) ((andrew.torchia@thomsonreuters.com; +9715 6681 7277; Reuters Messaging: andrew.torchia.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
