UPDATE: Econ min sees 2019 inflation forecast above 4.3%, below 5%

(Adds details in paragraph 4)

SOCHI, Feb 14 (PRIME) -- Economic Development Ministry’s adjusted 2019 inflation forecast will range between the current expectation of 4.3% and 5%, Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin told reporters on Thursday on the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum.

“We are going to adjust all figures. Something may change, obviously,” he said.

The forecast will be raised from the current figure of 4.3%, but kept below 5%, he added.

Oreshkin also said that inflation will return to target figures in early 2020. “The return to the target guideline is expected in early 2020,” he said.

On Tuesday, the ministry said that Russia’s inflation will pass peak levels of 5.5–5.7% in March–May and fall below 5% until the end of the year if the ruble is stable.

In 2018, inflation amounted to 4.3%, according to the Federal State Statistics Service.

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