THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1981
20
CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY
******
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1981. THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) AND THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) FOR FEBRUARY 1981 WERE BOTH 176.
COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS MONTH, CPI (A) INCREASED BY FIVE POINTS, OR 2.9 PER CENT AND CPI (B) BY SIX POINTS OR 3.5 PER CENT. THESE INCREASES ARE LARGELY SEASONAL, THE RESULT OF HIGH PRICES FOR FOOD DURING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR. THIS YEAR THE SEASONAL EFFECT HAS BEEN LESS MARKED. IN FEBRUARY 1980, CPI (A) INCREASED BY EIGHT POINTS OR 5.3 PER CENT AND CPI (B)
Y SEVEN POINTS OR 4.7 PER CENT.
COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1980, CPI (A) IN FEBRUARY 1981 INCREASED BY 18 POINTS OR 11.4 PER CENT AND CPI (B) BY 19 POTS OR 12.1 PER CENT. THESE REPRESENT AN IMPROVEMENT
VER THE SITUATION IN JANUARY 1981 WHEN THE CORRESPONDING COMPARISONS WERE AN INCREASE OF 21 POINTS OR 14.0 PER CENT FOR CPI (A) AND 20 POINTS OR 13.3 PER CENT FOR CPI (B).
THE CPI (A) IS BASED ON WEIGHTS DERIVED FROM THE EXPENDITURE PATTERN OF HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $400 AND $1 499 A MONTH AND THE CPI (B) FROM THOSE SPENDING BETWEEN $1 500 AND $2 999 AYO TH, AS DETERMINED IN THE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY OF 1970/74.
THE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1981 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMPONENTS F HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE DISTINGUISHED IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES ARE GIVEN BELOW, TOGETHER WITH THOSE FOR JANUARY 1981 AND FEBRUARY 1980.
CPI (B)
CPI (A)
COMPONENT
FEB 81 JAN 81 FEB 80
FEB 81 JAN 81 FEB 80
FOODSTUFFS
168
162
152
171
165
154
HOUSING
166
162
148
164
159
148
FUEL AND LIGHT
318
298
259
301
283
244
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
AND TOBACCO
196
190
181
189
184
174
CLOTHING AND
FOOTWEAR
128
127
118
126
126
116
DURABLE GOODS
140
139
131
135
134
128
MISCELLANEOUS GOODS
175
173
165
174
171
164
TRANSPORT AND
VEHICLES
220
214
191
222
216
191
SERVICES
101
188
165
196
104
168
ALL ITEMS
176
171
158
176
170
157
THE INDEX FOR THE FOODSTUFFS COMPONENT IN BOTH CP1 (A) AND CPI (B) INCREASED BY SIX POINTS. WITH THE PRICES OF FRESH FOOD ITEMS GENERALLY HIGHER DURING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN RESPECT CF FRESH VEGETABLES, PRES--VATER FISH, SALT-WATER FISH, PORK AND LIVE POULTRY.