BEIJING, March 9 (Reuters) - China's consumer inflation

in February fell at the quickest pace since January 2024, while

producer price deflation persisted, as seasonal demand faded

while households are still cautious about spending amid job and

income worries.

The consumer price index edged down 0.7% last month from a

year earlier, reversing January's 0.5% increase, data from the

National Bureau of Statistics showed on Sunday, missing a 0.5%

slide estimated by economists in a Reuters poll.

CPI fell 0.2% month-on-month, against a 0.7% rise in January

and below a predicted 0.1% drop.

The producer price index fell 2.2% on year in February,

improving from a 2.3% slide in January, but missing the forecast

2.1% decline.