Consumer price index (CPI) for July 2015

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for July 2015 increased by 4.76% year-on-year to 106.13, down from the 4.91% growth in June 2015. The increase was attributable to higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for eating out. In comparison with July 2014, notable increase was observed in the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+28.11%); Housing & Fuels (+8.72%) and Health (+5.98%) on account of an increase in tobacco tax, as well as rising rentals for dwellings and higher charges for out-patient services. On the contrary, price index of Communication decreased by 0.76%. The CPI-A (106.34) and CPI-B (104.40) increased by 5.21% and 3.71% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for July 2015 increased by 0.22% month-to-month. Higher prices of tobacco pushed up the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco by 32.00%, while rising charges for package tours caused the price index of Recreation & Culture to rise by 1.49%; meanwhile, lower prices of gasoline tapered off the increase in the price index of Housing & Fuels. On the other hand, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased by 3.35% owing to seasonal sale of summer clothing; moreover, price index of Transport decreased by 0.48% upon receding prices of gasoline. The CPI-A increased by 0.25% month-to-month while the CPI-B edged down by 0.03%. For the 12 months ended July 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.33% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+10.86%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+5.43%) and Health (+5.28%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.80% and 4.75% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first seven months of 2015 increased by 4.89% year-on-year, with the price index of Housing & Fuels; Health and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rising by 10.07%, 5.72% and 5.11% respectively. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.33% and 4.07% 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.