BANGKOK, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's headline inflation increased further in September, mainly due to rising fuel costs amid escalating Middle East tensions and higher food prices, official data showed on Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian country's consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.82 percent last month compared to a year earlier, accelerating from a 2.53-percent gain in August and registering the strongest reading since April, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The September figure brings inflation closer to the upper bound of the central bank's 1 percent to 3 percent target range.
Core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food and energy prices, climbed 1.50 percent year on year in September, quickening from a 1.44-percent rise in the previous month.
For the first nine months of 2026, the headline CPI grew 1.54 percent compared to the same period last year.
Looking ahead, the ministry expects headline inflation to remain in positive territory during the closing quarter of the year, supported by higher energy, food, and transportation expenses.
At a press briefing, it added that domestic flooding and El Nino weather conditions are not expected to have a broad-based impact on inflation.
The ministry narrowed its projection for headline CPI growth this year to between 1.8 percent and 2.2 percent, from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent in an earlier forecast. ■
