The Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of August 2018. The CPI of August 2018 reached to 108.95 (base year is 2013), showing an increase of 0..04%, when compared to CPI of July 2018. Compared to CPI of August  2017, [Y-o-Y basis] an increase of 0.6% has been recorded in the general index (CPI) of this month. 

     

An analysis [on M-o-M basis] of CPI for August 2018 compared with July 2018 CPI, shows that there are five main groups, where respective indices in this month have increased, namely: “ Education” by 1.5%, followed by “Clothing and Footwear” by 1.07%, “Transport” by 0.29%, “Food and Beverages”  by 0.28%. “Furniture and Household Equipment”  by 0.02%. A decrease had shown on “Housing, Water, Electricity and Gas”  by 0.71%, followed by “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.64%, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.11%.  The groups of  “Tobacco”, “Health” “Communication”, and “Recreation and Culture” have remained flat at the last month’s price level. 

A comparison of the CPI, August 2018 with the CPI, August 2017 (Annual Change), an increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI), by 0.6%. This [Y-o-Y] price increase is primarily due to the increasing prices seen in the seven groups, namely: “Transport” by 8.4%, “Health” by 4.27%, “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 2.67%, “Clothing and Footwear” by 2.65%, “ Education” by 2.44%. “Recreation and Culture” by 2.07%. “Restaurants and Hotels” by 1.74%.   Also, there has been a decrease in price levels in four groups, namely: “Communication” by 11.86%, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 3.27%, “Food and Beverages” by 2.6%, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.4%. “Tobacco” prices remained at the same level. 

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 August, 2018, noticed that the “Transport” had the highest positive contribution by 237.92%,which considered as the main group that effected the trend of the CPI annual rate. On the negative direction, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” had the highest contribution by -129.09%.. Table (2) and Graph (6) show the contribution of main groups in the annual relative  of the general CPI.

The CPI of August , 2018 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 109.45 showing an increase of 0.3 % when compared to the index of July 2018, and a 1.7% when compared to the CPI of August, 2017.

For more information click here