SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1985
CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR JULY ******
THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) ROSE BY 2.5 PER CENT AND THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) BY 2.9 PER CENT BETWEEN JULY 1984 AND JULY 1985, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) FOR JULY 1985 WERE 159.6 AND 159.9 RESPECTIVELY, OR 4.0 POINTS AND 4.5 POINTS RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THOSE FÖR JULY 1984. COMPARED WITH JUNE 1985 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, CPI(A) DECREASED BY 0.2 POINT OR 0.2 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 0.2 POINT OR 0.1 PER CENT.
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED JULY 1985, AT 157.8 AND 157.9 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 4.2 PER CENT AND 4.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED JULY 1984.
DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED JULY 1985, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED, ON THE AVERAGE, MARGINALLY EACH MONTH.
DURING JULY, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH FRUIT AND FRESH-WATER FISH WERE LOWER, ON THE OTHER HAND, CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES AND FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT WENT UP.
THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF 50 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WHICH WERE DERIVED FROM THE 1979/80 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY. THE CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $1 000 AND $3 499 A MONTH, AND THE CPI(B) TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $3 500 AND $6 499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME.
THE INDEXES FOR JULY 1985 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY- SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES ARE GIVEN BELOW, TOGETHER WITH THOSE FOR JUNE 1985 AND JULY 1984.
(OCTOBER 1979 TO SEPTEMBER 1980 AVERAGE -
100)
CPI(A)
CPI(B)
SECTION
JUL. 84 JUN. 85
JUL. 85
JUL. 84
JUN. 85
JUL, 85
FOODSTUFFS
156.5
156.2
155.6
156.9
157.1
156.2
HOUSING
146.1
155.1
155.4
147.0
154.5
154.7
/FULL AND