CPI up 3.1 per cent in August 2015

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 3.1 per cent to 113.9 in July 2015 compared with the 110.5 recorded in the same month last year, the Statistics Department said.

The rise in the CPI was led by increases in the index for alcoholic beverages & tobacco group, health, miscellaneous goods and services, restaurants & hotels, furnishing, household equipment & routine household maintenance and food & non-alcoholic beverages.

These six groups of goods and services which weighted 47.4 contributed 75.7 per cent to the increase in the CPI for August, the department said in a statement.

In addition, the overall index was influenced by the increase in communication (3.0 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (2.7 per cent), and education (2.5 per cent).

On a monthly basis, the CPI for August remained unchanged at 113.9.

The department said of the twelve major groups of goods and services, nine recorded an increase, one registered a decline while two remained unchanged.

Among the major groups which recorded increases in July were housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (0.7 per cent), food & non-alcoholic beverages (0.5 per cent), furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance (0.3 per cent), education (0.3 per cent), recreation services & culture (0.2 per cent), and restaurants & hotels (0.2 per cent).

On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the index of transport and clothing & footwear by 2.7 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the CPI for the first eight months of 2015 also registered an increase of 1.9 per cent compared with the same period last year led by increases among the main groups with high weights.

They were food & non-alcoholic beverages (3.2 per cent) and housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (2.3 per cent).

Other increases were alcoholic beverages & tobacco (11.8 per cent), health (4.3 per cent), restaurants & hotels (4.0 per cent) and miscellaneous goods & services (3.3 per cent).

On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the transport index of 4.1 per cent. — Bernama