Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI increased by 1.59% year-on-year to 108.18 in September 2016, down further from the 1.65% growth in August. The increment was attributable to higher rentals for parking spaces, dearer charges for eating out, as well as increases in property management fees, tuition fees in the new academic year and motor car prices. Among the various sections of goods and services, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages that accounted for the largest share of household expenditure showed continued slowdown in growth, rising by 2.04% year-on-year. Price index of Clothing & Footwear (-2.94%) and Housing & Fuels (-0.81%) registered decline, while that of Transport, Education and Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco rose by 7.84%, 7.43% and 5.39% respectively. The CPI-A (108.26) and CPI-B (107.55) increased by 1.46% and 2.72% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for September 2016 edged up by 0.08% month-to-month. Higher tuition fees and dearer charges for tutorial classes in the new academic year drove up the price index of Education and Miscellaneous Goods and Services by 7.18% and 0.80% respectively. Moreover, price index of Transport rose slightly by 0.04% owing to higher gasoline prices; yet, lower airfares offset part of the increase. On the other hand, falling prices of package tours after summer holidays, as well as seasonal sale of women’s clothing and adults’ footwear pushed down the price index of Recreation & Culture and Clothing & Footwear by 2.33% and 1.22% respectively. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.08% and 0.10% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended September 2016, the average Composite CPI increased by 2.98% from the previous period. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+29.38%) and Education (+8.80%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 2.97% and 3.06% respectively over the previous period. The average Composite CPI for the third quarter of 2016 (108.21) increased by 1.78% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 1.65% and 2.85% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first nine months of 2016 increased by 2.69% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 2.64% and 3.11% respectively. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households in Macao. 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.
