Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for September 2015 increased by 4.23% year-on-year to 106.49, down by 0.41 percentage points from the 4.64% growth in August. The increment was attributable to higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for eating out. In comparison with September 2014, in addition to the increase in tobacco tax that pushed the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco up significantly by 38.42%, price index of Education (+8.93%) and Health (+6.12%) also saw notable increase upon higher tuition fee and dearer charges for out-patient services. On the contrary, price index of Communication and Clothing & Footwear decreased by 0.98% and 0.65% respectively. The CPI-A (106.70) and CPI-B (104.69) increased by 4.37% and 3.22% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for September 2015 increased by 0.14% month-to-month. Higher tuition fee in the new academic year drove up the price index of Edcuation by 8.64%. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased by 0.24% owing to higher charges for eating out, as well as dearer prices of fresh fish, seafood and vegetables. Milder growth in rentals for dwellings caused the price index of Housing & Fuels to rise marginally by 0.05%. On the other hand, price index of Clothing & Footwear; Recreation & Culture and Transport decreased by 1.66%, 1.54% and 0.45% respectively upon seasonal sale of women’s clothing and footwear, receding charges for package tours and lower prices of airfare and gasoline. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.14% and 0.13% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended September 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.08% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+9.91%); Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+8.33%); Health (+5.62%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+5.30%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.51% and 4.35% respectively over the previous period. The average Composite CPI for the third quarter of 2015 increased by 4.54% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 4.85% and 3.51% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first nine months of 2015 rose by 4.79% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 5.18% and 3.93% 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.
