TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1991
6
CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY PUBLISHED
PUBLISHED
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY)
THE CPI(A) AND CPI (B) CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1991.
AT 152.7 AND 151.9 84
SEP. 85 = 100) FOR FEBRUARY 1991, RESPECTIVELY, WERE BOTH 11.9% HIGHER THAN IN FEBRUARY 1990.
THE
(OCT.
-
IN DECEMBER THE
RATES OF INCREASE CORRESPONDING JANUARY 1991 WERE 11.3% AND 10.8% RESPECTIVELY FOR CPI(A) AND 10.8% RESPECTIVELY FOR CPI (B).
1990 AND AND 11.1%
1991 THE FASTER RATES OF INCREASE IN THE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY
PRICE INCREASES FOR SOME WERE PREDOMINANTLY DUE TO SIGNIFICANT
IN THIS REGARD, IT ESSENTIAL FOODSTUFFS AROUND THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
IN SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE WAS A RELATIVELY LOW BASE OF COMPARISON
TOOK PLACE IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, AS THE CHINESE NEW YEAR IN 1990 JANUARY.
ENDED
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS FEBRUARY 1991, AT 144.6 AND 144.1 RESPECTIVELY, WERE BOTH 10.1% HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1990.
TAKING JANUARY AND FEBRUARY TOGETHER BOTH THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) INCREASED BY 11.3% OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1990.
WHICH CPI(A)
ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, THE INDEX FOR FOODSTUFFS, HAS THE LARGEST WEIGHTING IN THE INDEX, INCREASED BY 11.6% IN
INCREASE IN CPI(A) IN AND BY 12.0% IN CPI(B). FASTER RATES OF
FOR TRANSPORT AND FEBRUARY 1991 WERE ALSO RECORDED IN THE INDEXES
ALCOHOLIC VEHICLES (16.2%), SERVICES (15.3%), FUEL AND LIGHT (15.1%), DRINKS AND TOBACCO FOR HOME CONSUMPTION (13.8%) AND HOUSING (13.2%).
IN
OVERALL
THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE FOR THE SAME COMPONENTS
12.2% RESPECTIVELY. THE CPI(B) WERE 16.9%, 14.4%, 14.5%, 14.2% AND
91% OF THE THESE
ACCOUNTED FOR SIX
TOGETHER COMPONENTS INCREASE IN THE CPI (A) AND 89% OF THE INCREASE IN THE CPI(B).
FOR
OF
THE
COMPARING FEBRUARY 1991 WITH JANUARY 1991, THE CPI(A) INCREASED BY 2.0% AND THE CPI(B), BY 1.8%, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIGHER PRICES
AROUND HAIRDRESSING FRESH FOOD
AND HIGHER CHARGES ITEMS CHINESE NEW YEAR, HIGHER CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS EATING PLACES, AND HIGHER RENTS FOR SOME PRIVATE HOUSING UNITS.
DURING
THREE-MONTH THE
PER LOD
ENDED
FEBRUARY SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT RATE OF 1.0% PER MONTH.
AND OTHER
1991, AN
THE AVERAGE
THE CPI(A) AND THE CPI(B) ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS WHICH OF 50% AND 30%, RESPECTIVELY, OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WERE DERIVED FROM THE 1984/85 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.
$2, 000 AND
THE CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $6,499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE CPI(B) BETWEEN $6,500 AND $9,999 A MONTH.
/CHANGES IN