Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for November 2022 (103.85) increased by 0.76% year-on-year. The increment was attributed to higher wages of domestic helpers and tuition fees, dearer charges for eating out and electricity, as well as rising prices of gasoline; yet, the rise was partially offset by lower rentals for dwellings, reduced charges for telecommunication services, and falling prices of vegetables and liquefied petroleum gas. Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Household Furnishings & Services and Education rose by 10.26% and 10.07% year-on-year respectively, whereas the index of Communication decreased by 9.23%. The CPI-A (103.43) and CPI-B (104.39) saw respective growth of 0.42% and 1.22% year-on-year.
In comparison with October, the Composite CPI for November fell by 0.04%. Price index of Housing and Fuels went down by 0.26% owing to lower rentals for dwellings and receding prices of liquefied petroleum gas. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco dipped by 0.22% attributable to reduced prices of alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, higher gasoline prices pushed up the price index of Transport by 0.36%. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages recorded a slight increase of 0.01% as the rise in the price index was moderated by the decrease in vegetable prices. The CPI-A and CPI-B dropped by 0.05% and 0.01% month-on-month respectively.
For the 12 months ended November 2022, the average Composite CPI grew by 1.06% from the previous period, and the price indices of Household Furnishings & Services (+11.16%) and Transport (+6.02%) showed notable growth. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.75% and 1.48% respectively over the previous period.
The average Composite CPI for the first eleven months of 2022 rose by 1.07% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 0.75% and 1.50% respectively.
DSEC compiles three separate CPI series to reflect the impact of price changes for goods/services on households of different expenditure ranges. The CPI-A and CPI-B relate to about 50% and 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP12,000-MOP35,999 and MOP36,000-MOP62,999 respectively; meanwhile, the Composite CPI relates to all the above-mentioned households.