Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October 2015

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for October 2015 was 106.94, with the year-on-year growth slowing further to 4.16%. The increment was attributable to higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for eating out. In comparison with October 2014, notable increase was observed in the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, up by 34.29%; price index of Education and Household Goods & Furnishings increased by 8.96% and 6.96% on account of higher tuition fee and rising wages of domestic helpers. On the other contrary, price index of Clothing & Footwear (-1.89%) and Communication (-0.16%) registered decrease. The CPI-A (107.16) and CPI-B (105.03) rose by 4.28% and 3.06% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for October 2015 increased by 0.42% month-to-month. Higher rental for parking spaces, new arrival of winter clothing and rising wages of domestic helpers drove up the price index of Transport, Clothing & Footwear and Household Goods & Furnishings by 1.72%, 1.50% and 1.11%. Moreover, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased by 0.27% owing to dearer charges for eating out and higher prices of vegetables. On the other hand, price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco decreased by 3.84% due to the adjustment of tabacco prices by some retailers. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.43% and 0.32% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended October 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 4.91% from the previous period. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+11.04%) and Housing & Fuels (+9.29%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.31% and 4.10% respectively over the previous period. The average Composite CPI for the first ten months of 2015 increased by 4.73% year-on-year, with the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco and Housing & Fuels rising by 13.16% and 8.83% respectively. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 5.09% and 3.84% 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.