Figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that the Consumer Price Index fell by 0.9% in January – to one of its lowest points in recent years.
Figures showed a sharp 8.9% drop for water and sewage, whose government-controlled rates were cut in January.
There was an 8.8% tumble for energy prices, contributing to 0.33% of the CPI's drop, which have been decreasing in line with the fall in global petroleum prices.
In January, apparel and shoes fell 6% and communications and transportation 1.9%. Food prices were down 0.2%. Homeowners' housing costs fell by 1.2 percent, accounting for 0.22% of the negative trend in the CPI.
