SEE: 'Flurry' of corporate transactions here, more to come in O&M small caps: CGS-CIMB
Prices for electricity and gas inched down to -6.7% from November’s -6.8%. This comes as the sector – which has been in the red for over a year – saw an easing in the take-up of new subscriptions under the Open Electricity Market. Similarly, food inflation dipped marginally to 1.6% following smaller increases in the prices of non-cooked food and restaurant meals. The segment had previously hit 1.8% in November. Touching on the inflation levels for 2020, MAS and MTI note that both the core and headline price gauges had averaged at -0.2%. Looking ahead, the authorities expect core inflation to average between 0% and 1%, while headline inflation is expected to fall between -0.5% and 0.5%.