Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI in February 2019 increased by 2.79% year-on-year to 115.31, down by 0.25 percentage points from the 3.04% growth in January 2019. The increment in February was attributable to dearer charges for eating out and higher rentals for dwellings, as well as rising prices of motor cars, adults’ clothing and fruits.
Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Education, Transport and Clothing & Footwear grew notably by 5.95%, 5.06% and 4.48% respectively year-on-year. The CPI-A (115.36) and CPI-B (114.90) went up by 2.74% and 3.15% respectively year-on-year.
The Composite CPI in February 2019 rose by 0.68% month-to-month. Higher charges for package tours and airfares during the Lunar New Year period and rising prices of gasoline pushed up the price indices of Recreation & Culture and Transport by 8.41% and 1.74% respectively. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages went up by 0.57% on account of increasing charges for eating out and dearer prices of vegetables, fruits and fresh fish. On the other hand, seasonal sale of winter clothing and footwear brought down the price index of Clothing & Footwear markedly by 2.34%. In addition, price index of Housing & Fuels edged down by 0.05% as the decline in Liquefied Petroleum Gas prices offset the increase in rentals for dwellings. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.69% and 0.61% respectively month-to-month.
For the 12 months ended February 2019, the average Composite CPI rose by 3.09% from the previous period, with notable growth in the price indices of Clothing & Footwear (+6.33%) and Transport (+5.54%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 3.10% and 2.97% respectively over the previous period.
The average Composite CPI for the first two months of 2019 increased by 2.91% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 2.88% and 3.21% respectively.
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.