KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. Indonesia's annual inflation rate accelerated slightly in July, against market expectation for it to ease, but stayed within the central bank's target range, data from the statistics bureau showed on Thursday.

July's inflation rate was 3.32% on-year, the bureau said, compared with the 3.27% expected in a Reuters poll. The rate in June was 3.28%.

BI targets to maintain inflation within a 2.5%-4.5% target range for 2019.

The chief of statistics bureau, Suhariyanto, described July's rate as "under control", reflecting prices normalising after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr festival.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.31%.

Unlike the headline reading, the annual core inflation rate, which strips government-controlled and volatile food prices, cooled to 3.18% in July from 3.25% in June, close to the poll's 3.17% forecast.

Editor: Herlina Kartika Dewi