Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI in January 2019 increased by 3.04% year-on-year to 114.53, an increase of 0.10 percentage point from the 2.94% growth in December 2018. The increment in January was attributable to dearer charges for eating out and higher rentals for dwellings, as well as increasing prices of motor cars and adults’ clothing.
Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Education, Transport and Clothing & Footwear grew notably by 5.95%, 5.07% and 4.54% respectively year-on-year. The CPI-A (114.57) and CPI-B (114.20) went up by 3.02% and 3.27% respectively year-on-year.
The Composite CPI in January 2019 rose by 0.15% month-to-month. Higher charges for hairdressing services before the Lunar New Year and dearer prices of gold jewellery drove up the price index of Miscellaneous Goods & Services by 1.01%. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages went up by 0.65% on account of rising charges for eating out and increasing prices of fresh fish and fruits. In addition, price index of Transport grew by 0.91% due to higher prices of motor cars and gasoline; yet, retreating airfares tapered off part of the increase. On the other hand, lower charges for package tours and seasonal sale of winter clothing and footwear pushed down the price indices of Recreation & Culture and Clothing & Footwear markedly by 2.68% and 1.81%. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.09% and 0.65% respectively month-to-month.
For the 12 months ended January 2019, the average Composite CPI rose by 3.11% from the previous period, with notable growth in the price indices of Clothing & Footwear (+6.43%) and Transport (+5.51%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 3.13% and 2.98% respectively over the previous period.
The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households in Macao. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.