Wholesale inflation eases to 18-month low of 10.7% in September

NEW DELHI: Wholesale price-based inflation moderated to an 18-month low in September, providing relief from stubborn price pressures but still remained in double digits for 18-months in a row.Data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Friday showed inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), rose an annual 10.7% in September, slower than the 12.4% in August. Inflation in September is primarily contributed by rise in prices of mineral oils, food articles, crude petroleum & natural gas, chemicals and chemical products, basic metals, electricity, textiles etc as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.Food inflation moderated to a 10-month low of 8.1% in September from 9.9% in August while core inflation (minus food and fuel) slowed to a 19-month low of 7.0% during the month, led by a softening in global commodity prices and global economic slowdown.