UPDATE 1-Kuwait Dec inflation rises to 2.9 pct -KUNA

Jan 22 (Reuters) - Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported
the following December consumer price data on Tuesday, citing
figures from the country's statistics office:

KUWAIT CONSUMER INFLATION 12/12 11/12 12/11
pct change month/month 0.7 0.3 0.5
pct change year/year 2.9 2.3 3.1
NOTE. Food prices, which make up 18 percent of the basket,
rose 5.6 percent year-on-year but fell 0.7 percent
month-on-month in December.
Analysts polled by Reuters in September expected average
inflation of 3.9 percent in 2012, down from 4.8 percent in 2011.