Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for April 2015 increased by 4.51% year-on-year to 104.86, down significantly from the 5.10% growth in March 2015. Higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for eating out remained the main drivers of the increase in CPI. In comparison with April 2014, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+9.84%); Health (+5.17%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.73%) on account of rising rentals for dwellings, as well as dearer charges for out-patient services and eating out. On the contrary, price index of Recreation & Culture (-1.43%) and Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-1.40%) showed marked decrease. The CPI-A (105.05) and CPI-B (103.31) increased by 4.96% and 3.58% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for April 2015 increased by 0.31% month-to-month. New arrival of summer clothing and footwear, higher rentals for parking spaces and dearer charges for maintenance & repair of vehicles drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear and Transport by 2.81% and 0.67%. On the other hand, lower prices of vegetables, fruits, fresh fish and seafood tapered off the rise in charges for eating out and prices of fresh pork, causing the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages to decrease slightly by 0.04%. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.32% and 0.23% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended April 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.62% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.49%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+5.66%) and Health (+4.83%) registered remarkable increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.10% and 5.26% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first four months of 2015 increased by 4.91% year-on-year, with the price index of Housing & Fuels; Health; and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rising by 10.68%, 5.44% and 5.11% respectively. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 5.33% and 4.22% respectively. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households. 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.
