China's consumer prices rise 0.2% in January, producer deflation softens

BEIJING, Feb 11 (Reuters) - China's consumer prices extended a year-on-year gain in January while producer deflation softened, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2% from the same month last year, cooling from an 0.8% increase in December and missing expectations in a Reuters poll for a 0.4% rise.

On a monthly basis, CPI edged up 0.2%, missing a forecast for a 0.3% increase and matching the rise in December.

The producer price index (PPI) fell 1.4% year-on-year, compared with a 1.9% fall in December and an expected drop of 1.5%.