Inflation down

After hovering above the seven per cent level for two years, the annual inflation rate fell 0.17 per cent to 6.86 per cent for the week ended October 14, despite the hike in fuel prices.

The point-to-point inflation rate based on the WPI for all commodities (Base: 1993-94=100) stood at 6.86 per cent against the previous week's level of 7.03 per cent.

The index for primary articles rose sharply by 0.9 per cent to 164.7 points due to expensive food products, though non-food products were cheaper. The primary articles index was 163.2 points a week ago and 161.1 a year ago.