Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in February and March will be lower than that in the previous month if the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel of the coronavirus (Covid-19) ends in Q1, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). Pharmaceutical and electricity prices are likely to rise in the coming time due to the Covid-19 outbreak, according to the GSO. On the contrary, the prices of meat and vegetable, catering and tourism services, hotels and entertainment may decline due to a downward trend in consumer’s demand. The GSO predicts that food and foodstuff prices will surge, regardless of whether the Covid-19 outbreak ends in the first quarter of 2020 or continues afterwards. In the first scenario, the prices of food, beverages and garment-textile strongly rise in the Lunar New Year holiday due to increasing demand then stabilise in line with consumption rule, with the Covid-19 ending in Q1. In that case, this year’s CPI … [Read more...] about CPI projected to decline in next two months
