Core inflation in the country rose by 0.8% year on year, down from December's 1.8% rise and below the 1.5% growth expected.

Singapore’s core inflation cooled to 0.8% in January from a year earlier, supporting the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s recent decision to loosen its policy settings for the first time in nearly five years.

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. The core inflation rate,