•  0.6% monthly Decrease on CPI of May 2017, compared with the previous month
•  0.1% annual increase on CPI of May 2017, compared with May 2016.

        The Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of May 2017. The CPI of May, 2017 reached to 107.7 (base year is 2013) showing a decrease by 0.6%, when compared to CPI of April, 2017. Compared to CPI of May, 2016, [Y-o-Y basis] of 0.1% slightly increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI) of this month.
    
 An analysis [on M-o-M basis] of CPI for May, 2017 compared with April, 2017 CPI, shows that there are seven main groups, where respective indices in this month have decreased, namely: “Clothing and Footwear” by 1.7%. “Recreation and Culture” by 1.5%, “Food and Beverages” by 1.2% ( due to discounted prices for Ramadan),  “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 0.8%, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.5%, “Transport” by 0.3%, and “Restaurants and Hotels “by 0.1%,  and. The other Five groups: “Tobacco”, “Furniture and Household Equipment”, “Health”, “Communication”, and “Education” have remained flat at the last month’s price level.

              A comparison of the CPI, May, 2017 with the CPI, May, 2016 (Annual Change), points a slight rise in the general index (CPI), by 0.1%. This [Y-o-Y] price surge is primarily due to the increasing prices seen in the five groups, namely: “Transport” by 7.9%”, “Education” by 3.0%, “Health” by 2.6%, “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 1.4%, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.3%. Also, there has been a decrease in price levels in Six groups, namely: “Recreation and Culture” by 3.3%, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 2.6%, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 2.3%, Clothing and Footwear” by 2.2%. “Food and Beverages” by 1.9%, “Communication” by 0.1%. No changes recorded in “Tobacco” group. 
  
The CPI of May, 2017 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 106.3, showing  a decrease of 0.7% when compared to the index of April 2017, and an increase of 0.8%  when compared to the CPI of May 2016.

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