Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.33 percent year-on-year in October, remaining above the 2 percent alert threshold for the sixth consecutive month, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Thursday.
Core CPI, which excludes fruit, vegetables and energy, increased 2.23 percent from a year earlier, according to DGBAS data.
DGBAS official Tsai Hsiu-hui (蔡秀慧) said the annual CPI growth rate eased from 2.74 percent in September, mainly due to lower vegetable prices, smaller increases in electricity and personal goods prices, and a decline in personal care service fees, as the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday fell outside October this year.
However, dining-out costs continued to rise, increasing 3.01 percent year-on-year and marking the fifth consecutive month of growth above 3 percent.
Tsai said the increase was more moderate than the 5.77 percent annual growth recorded in 2022, when prices were driven higher by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Nevertheless, she acknowledged that dining out is a regular household expense, making price increases particularly noticeable to consumers, and said the DGBAS would continue to monitor price movements.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's import price index, measured in New Taiwan dollar terms, surged 33.32 percent year-on-year in October, its largest increase since the index was introduced in January 1977, according to the DGBAS.
In U.S. dollar terms, the index rose 26.72 percent, its steepest year-on-year increase since March 1980.
Tsai attributed the increase mainly to higher prices for minerals, which rose 58.35 percent, machinery, electrical equipment and related parts, up 31.7 percent, and basic metals and related products, up 19.1 percent.
She said mineral prices were pushed higher by rising global crude oil prices, while increases in machinery and electrical equipment prices reflected demand related to artificial intelligence.
Although higher component prices could eventually push up the cost of consumer electronics, including computers and mobile phones, Tsai said most of the affected products were intended for export, limiting the impact on domestic consumers.
She added that the government had taken measures to stabilize prices amid fluctuations in global crude oil prices.
Looking ahead, Tsai said the relatively high comparison base in October 2025, when the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday took place, had helped moderate this October's annual CPI increase.
With no long weekends expected to affect November's figures, she said CPI growth was likely to remain above 2 percent and could exceed October's 2.33 percent.
