Wholesale inflation at 30-month high in January on high commodity prices

Wholesale inflation rose to a two-and-a-half-year high of 5.2 per cent in January

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation rose to a two-and-a-half-year high of 5.2 per cent in January, widening the divergence with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers.

The rising prices of commodities, including petrol and diesel, led to a rise in WPI inflation, which was 3.4 per cent in December, showed official data released on Tuesday.

On the other hand, the data released on Monday showed that CPI inflation fell to a series low of 3.2 per cent in January from 3.4 per cent in the previous month.

“The wedge that has opened up between