THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1989
THE
CONSUMER
PRICE
INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY
* * * * *
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) PUBLISHED CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1989.
THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) (OCT. 84/SEP. 85 = 100) FOR FEBRUARY 1989 TER WERE 125.9 AND 125.4 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 10.5 CENT AND 10.0 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER FEBRUARY 1988.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME SINCE MAY 1984 THAT A DOUBLE-DIGIT RATE OF INCREASE WAS RECORDED FOR THESE TWO INDEXES.
COMPARING COMPARISON
FEBRUARY WITH JANUARY 1989 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS
MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, NOTABLY THE CHINESE NEW YEAR, THE CPI(A) INCREASED BY 2.3 PER CENT AND THE CPI(B), BY 1.9 PER CENT.
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY
BOTH 1989,
AT 119.4, WERE 8.0 PER CENT AND
CENT 7.9 PER RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY
1988.
DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED FEBRUARY 1989, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 1.1 PER CENT PER MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(B), AT 1.0 PER CENT PER MONTH.
THE CPI(A) AND THE 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 1984-85 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.
THE CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $2,000 AND $6,499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE CPI (B) BETWEEN $6,500 AND $9,999 A MONTH.
CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1989 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY/SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1989 AND FEBRUARY 1988, ARE GIVEN BELOW.
CPU(A)
SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE = 100)
CPI (B)
INDKX % CHANGE FOR
SECTION
FEB.89
OVER JAN.89
* CHANGE OVER FEB.88
INDEX * CHANGE FOR OVER FEB.89 JAN. 89
% CHANGE
OVER
FEB. 08
FOODSTUFFS
127.9
+3.8
+14.1
HOUSING
118.1
+0.3
+5.8
128.7 +3.6
114.1 +0.4
+14.1
+4.6
/FUEL AND ****