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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Vendors wearing protective masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) wait for customers at a traditional market in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s annual inflation rate eased to a 10-month low in June amid stricter coronavirus curbs following a surge in COVID-19 cases, data from the statistics bureau showed on Thursday.

The June consumer price index climbed 1.33% on an annual basis, the lowest rise since August 2020 and compared with a 1.41% gain expected in a Reuters poll. The previous month’s inflation rate was 1.68%.

However, the annual core inflation rate, which strips out government-controlled and volatile prices, accelerated to 1.49% from May’s 1.37%. The poll had forecast 1.43%.

The headline inflation in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has stayed below the central bank’s target range of 2% to 4% since mid-2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic dampened domestic demand.