Inflation takes a brief breather in December

 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s consumer prices rose 6.9 percent in December from a year earlier, compared with a gain of 7.0 percent in November, which was a 21-month high, government data showed on Friday. It’s the first slowdown after four straight months of faster growth. Annual average inflation rose to 5.9 percent this month from 5.8 percent in November.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected consumer prices to have risen 7.3 percent, and annual average inflation to have risen by 6.0 percent.