Malaysia's consumer price inflation increased modestly from the previous month in March, data released by the Department of Statistics showed Wednesday.

Inflation as per the consumer price index accelerated to 1.6 percent in March from 1.5 percent in February. The latest figure matched economists' expectations.

Driving the rise in inflation, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages climbed 3.3 percent annually, and housing costs and utility prices advanced 1.3 percent.

There was a 1 percent gain in transportation costs during the month. Meanwhile, clothing and footwear prices decreased 0.5 percent in February from a year earlier, data showed.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index edged up 0.1 percent in March, after gaining 0.2 percent in the previous month. In the January-March period, the consumer price index moved up 1.5 percent from the corresponding period a year earlier, data showed.

RTTNews