The data came after the Monetary Authority of Singapore in January eased its monetary policy for the first time in five years. A continuous slowing in core inflation may back the case for the central bank to further ease its policy stance, which is centered on the city-state's exchange rate.

Singapore's key consumer price gauge rose 0.8% in January from a year earlier, lower than economists' forecasts and the smallest rise in more than three years, official data showed on Monday.