Panama annual inflation reaches 4.7 pct in January

PANAMA CITY Feb 15 (Reuters) - Panama's annual inflation rate inched up to 4.7 percent in the 12 months through January, the government statistics' agency said on Friday.

Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent month-on-month, compared to December's 0.3 percent increase.

Rapid growth in Panama's dollarized economy and massive public infrastructure spending, including a $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama canal, have fed inflationary pressures.

Annual inflation stood at 4.6 percent in December.