Singapore (VNA), March 24 -- Singapore 's core inflation fell sharply to -0.1 percent in February, from 0.3 percent in January, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on March 23.

The two authorities attributed the fall largely to a 0.4 percent decline in the cost of services, which was driven by a fall in airfares and holiday expenses.

The country's consumer price index for all items (CPI-All Items) in February grew only 0.3 percent year on year, compared to 0.8 percent in the previous month. The authorities said that this was mainly due to the fall in core inflation as well as lower private transport inflation.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had heavy impacts on Singapore's aviation and...