0.3% monthly decrease on CPI of March 2018.
0.4% annual increase on CPI of March 2018, compared with March 2017.
The Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of March 2018. The CPI of March, 2018 reached to 109.0 (base year is 2013), showing a decrease of 0.3%, when compared to CPI of February, 2017. Compared to CPI of March, 2017, [Y-o-Y basis] of 0.4% increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI) of this month.
An analysis [on M-o-M basis] of CPI for March, 2018 compared with February, 2018 CPI, shows that there are six main groups, where respective indices in this month have decreased, namely: “Recreation and Culture” by 1.5%, followed by “Clothing and Footwear” by 0.4%, “Food and Beverages” and “Housing, Water, Electricity and Gas” by 0.3% each, also both of “Restaurants and Hotels”, and “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” decreased by 0.1%. An increase had just shown only on “Transport” by 0.3%.
“Tobacco”, “Furniture and Household Equipment”, “Health”, “Communication”, “Education” groups, have remained flat at the last month’s price level.
A comparison of the CPI, March 2018 with the CPI, March 2017 (Annual Change), an increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI), by 0.4%. This [Y-o-Y] price increase is primarily due to the increasing prices seen in the seven groups, namely: “Transport” by 6.6%, “Health” by 5.3%, “Food and Beverages” by 4.0%, “Clothing and Footwear” by 2.6%. “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 1.1%, and “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” and “Education” by 0.9% each. Also there has been a decrease in price levels in four groups, namely: “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 5.2%, “Recreation and Culture” by 1.8%, “Communication” by 1.1%, and “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.7%. No changes recorded in “Tobacco”.
Regards the contribution relative, which is a percentage reflects the different contribution of the main groups on the CPI annual rate. For the month of March,2018, noticed that the “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” had the highest negative contribution by -300.0% in the annual change of CPI, followed by “ Transport” which contributed positively, by 250.0%, “Food and Beverages” contributed positively, by 125.0%, since its price increased by 4.0% compared with March 2017, “Recreation and Culture” contributed negatively by -50.5%. Other group’s contribution were between -25.0% and 25.0%.
The CPI of March, 2018 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 109.2 showing a decrease of 0.2 % when compared to the index of February 2018, and a 2.1% when compared to the CPI of March 2017.
