Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for August 2021 (102.61) rose by 0.40% year-on-year, slightly larger than the increase in July (+0.38%).
The increase in the Composite CPI in August was attributed to higher prices of gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas, dearer charges for electricity and eating out, as well as increasing wages of domestic helpers; however, the rise was partially offset by lower rentals for dwellings, falling prices of pork, reduced hotel room rates, along with decreasing charges for package tours and telecommunication services. Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Transport and Household Furnishings & Services grew by 4.43% and 3.68% year-on-year respectively, whereas the indices of Communication, Clothing & Footwear and Recreation & Culture went down by 3.75%, 2.99% and 2.93%. The CPI-A (102.66) and CPI-B (102.55) saw respective growth of 0.31% and 0.50% year-on-year.
The Composite CPI for August rose by 0.08% month-on-month. Rising wages of domestic helpers together with higher airfares and gasoline prices drove up the price indices of Household Furnishings & Services and Transport by 1.69% and 0.74% respectively. Notwithstanding the receding fruit prices, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages went up by 0.07% on account of dearer charges for eating out and increasing prices of vegetables. Price index of Housing & Fuels edged up by 0.01% as a result of higher prices of liquefied petroleum gas, despite lower rentals for dwellings. On the other hand, price index of Recreation & Culture went down by 1.61%. The CPI-A and CPI-B grew by 0.07% and 0.10% month-on-month respectively.
For the 12 months ended August 2021, the average Composite CPI dropped by 0.54% from the previous period (September 2019 to August 2020), with notable decline in the price indices of Communication (-8.89%) and Recreation & Culture (-8.47%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B decreased by 0.53% and 0.56% respectively over the previous period.
The average Composite CPI for the first eight months of 2021 dropped by 0.45% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B dipped by 0.48% and 0.42% 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 MOP12,000 to MOP35,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP36,000 to MOP62,999.