Singapore consumer prices fall for seventh month

SINGAPORE – Singapore's consumer prices fell in October for a seventh month as property values slid from a year earlier.

The consumer price index fell 0.8 percent in the 12 months through October after a 0.4 percent drop in the 12 months to September, the statistics department said Friday. Compared to August, September's CPI rose 0.6 percent.

Housing prices in September dropped 4.7 percent from a year earlier, transport and communication rose 0.6 percent and food jumped 0.8 percent. Inflation has eased from a 26-year high in June 2008 of 7.5 percent.

The government said last month it expects inflation to quicken from zero percent this year to between 1 percent and 2 percent next year.