TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1990
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CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR MAY PUBLISHED
*
140.3, CONSUMER STATISTICS
THE CPI(A) (OCT. 84 SEP. 85 = 100) FOR MAY 1990, AT WAS 9.3 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN MAY 1989, ACCORDING TO THE PRICE INDEXES FOR MAY 1990 PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY).
THIS WAS LOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE OF 10.0 PER CENT IN MARCH AND 9.4 PER CENT IN APRIL.
THE CPI(B) FOR MAY 1990, AT 140.1, WAS ALSO 9.3 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN MAY LAST YEAR. THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE IN AND APRIL WERE 9.6 PER CENT AND 9.3 PER CENT.
MARCH
AND
FOR THE PERIOD OF JANUARY TO MAY 1990, THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AVERAGE CPI(B) INCREASED BY 9.4 PER CENT AND 9.2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1989.
THE
IN
ALCOHOLIC VEHICLES,
ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, THE FASTER RATES OF INCREASE CPI(A) IN MAY 1990 WERE RECORDED IN THE INDEXES FOR DRINKS AND TOBACCO (FOR HOME CONSUMPTION), TRANSPORT AND SERVICES AND FOODSTUFFS AT 18.3 PER CENT, 14.5 PER CENT, 13.9 PER CENT AND 9.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
IN THE
PER
THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES FOR THE SAME COMPONENTS CPI(B) WERE 18.1 PER CENT, 14.6 PER CENT, 13.5 PER CENT AND 9.9 CENT RESPECTIVELY.
THESE FOUR COMPONENTS TOGETHER ACCOUNTED FOR NEARLY FOUR-FIFTHS OF THE OVERALL INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) AND ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF INCREASE IN THE CPI(B).
THE
COMPARING MAY 1990 WITH APRIL 1990, THE CPI(A) INCREASED BY 0.7 PER CENT AND THE CPI(B), BY 0.9 PER CENT, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIGHER CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES, HIGHER RENTS FOR SOME PRIVATE HOUSING UNITS AND INCREASES IN MTR, KCR AND URBAN- TAXI FARES.
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS MAY
ENDED 1990, AT 134.3 AND 133.8 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 9.8 PER CENT AND 9.6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS MAY 1989.
ENDED
DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED MAY 1990, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF PER CENT PER MONTH.
1.0
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 MAY 1990 IN RESPECT OF THE COMMODITY/SERVICE
NINE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH APRIL 1990 AND MAY 1989, ARE GIVEN BELOW.
OCTOBER 1984