Oct corporate goods price index rises 0.8 yryr vs f39;cast 0.9
Wholesale inflation slows below 1 for 1st time since Feb 2021
Focus shifts on whether demanddriven inflation takes over

TOKYO, Nov 13 Reuters Japanese wholesale inflation slowed below 1 for the first time in just over 212years in October, data showed on Monday, a sign that cost push pressures that had been driving up prices for a wide range of goods were starting to fade.

The slowdown in commodityled inflation is in line with the Bank of Japan39;s projections, and puts the spotlight on whether wages and household spending would increase enough to generate a demanddriven rise in consumer prices, analysts say.

Wholesale inflation seems to have cooled as past declines in raw material and energy costs filter through domestic businesstobusiness prices, said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

The effect of government subsidies to curb gasoline and utility bills will likely lead to a slowdown in consumer inflation by the close of the fiscal year ending March 2024, he said.

But the pace of slowdown in consumer inflation will be modest as labour shortages and higher wages will underpin service prices, he said.

The corporate goods price index CGPI, which measures the price companies charge each other for their goods and services, increased 0.8 in October from a year earlier, roughly matching a median market forecast for a 0.9 gain but cooling significantly from a 2.2 rise in…