Asia-Pacific Inflation Monitor: Edging higher on energy price pressures

This publication summarizes regional and economy-specific inflation data across the Asia-Pacific economies we cover. The latest CPI/PPI data points are generally for September 2026, with some energy price data through mid-October. Energy prices continue to move higher, with headline CPIs moving up in September and Brent crude oil at $116/bbl as of this writing—which should be reflected in further increases in import prices and producer prices in October (and to a lesser extent in final consumer prices, given fiscal subsidies/regulated retail prices in many cases). Oil prices are close to their spring peaks, while LNG and diesel prices have set new highs for the year. Before the Iran war, CPI inflation was broadly in line with or below central bank targets in most Asia-Pacific economies. Now, headline and core CPI inflation are generally in line with targets or above. CPI inflation forecasts (both ours and the consensus) moved higher across the region soon after onset of the Iran war, c