That drop was off the back of lower core goods inflation, Capital Economics analyst Jason Tuvey said, while services inflation - which central bank board members have described as "sticky" - remained above 5% year over year. Annual core inflation in the second half of the month was "good news," said central bank board member Jonathan Heath on social media network X. Headline inflation edged downward to 4.64% in the month, in line with market expectations and its lowest since March 2021. That was driven by softer core price pressures, Capital's Tuvey said, but with inflation in the services sector still proving stubborn, the central bank is still unlikely to kick off an interest-rate easing cycle soon. The closely watched core price index rose 0.27% during the month (MXCPIX=ECI).

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Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, Jason Tuvey, Jonathan Heath, Capital's Tuvey, Andres Abadia, Natalia Siniawski, Kylie Madry, Frances Kerry, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Capital, Reuters, of, Macroeconomics, America, Thomson Locations: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, of Mexico