Consumer prices declined in January. A 0.1 percent monthly fall put the yearly inflation rate at 0.4 percent, some 0.2 percentage points less than December.

The overall monthly drop reflected a 0.1 percent rise in domestic prices which was more than offset by a 0.7 percent fall in import prices. For the former, annual inflation eased from 1.5 percent to 1.0 percent and for the latter, increased to minus 1.5 percent from minus 2.2 percent.

Within the CPI basket, the main area of weakness was clothing and shoes where prices were down 6.6 percent versus December alongside housing and energy (minus 0.6 percent) and household goods (minus 0.4 percent). These declines were sufficient to offset modest gains elsewhere. Core prices declined 0.1 percent on the month, while the annual underlying inflation rate increased by two ticks to 0.9 percent.

The consumer price index (CPI) is an average measure of the level of the prices of goods and services bought for the purpose of consumption by Swiss households. Monthly and annual changes in the CPI provide widely used measures of inflation. The policy target measure for the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the annual CPI rate can be distorted by swings in prices amongst the more volatile subsectors and the CPI excluding fresh food and energy is used as a better guide to underlying short-term trends. Although not a member of the Eurozone, a harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP), measured according to Eurostat's procedures, is also published alongside the CPI.

The consumer price index is the most widely followed indicator of inflation. An investor who understands how inflation influences the markets will benefit over those investors that do not understand the impact. Inflation is an increase in the overall prices of goods and services. The relationship between inflation and interest rates is the key to understanding how indicators such as the CPI influence the markets- and your investments. Inflation (along with various risks) basically explains how interest rates are set on everything from loans to notes and bonds. As the rate of inflation changes and as expectations on inflation change, the markets adjust interest rates. The effect ripples across stocks, bonds, commodities, and your portfolio, often in a dramatic fashion. By tracking inflation, whether high or low, rising or falling, investors can anticipate how different types of investments will perform. Over the long run, the bond market will rally (fall) when increases in the CPI are small (large). The equity market rallies with the bond market because low inflation promises low interest rates and is good for profits.