5
ו.
TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1993
TI *ALTHOUGH THIS LATEST
INCREASE
IS
FASTER
THAN THE
7.8% IN MARCH AND
FEBRUARY,
CORRESPONDING YEAR-ON-YEAR RATES OF INCREASE OF 7.7% IN APRIL, IT IS STILL SLOWER THAN THOSE IN JANUARY AND AT 10.1% AND 8.6%. ALSO IT IS THE SAME AS THE AVERAGE INCREASE OF 8.5% RECORDED FOR THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS TAKEN TOGETHER.
"IN THE LIGHT OF PRICE VOLATILITY IN SOME OF THE CONSUMER ITEMS, PARTICULARLY FRESH FOOD, IT IS BETTER TO READ THE FIGURES FOR SEVERAL MONTHS COMBINED RATHER THAN JUST FOR A SINGLE MONTH. THE AVERAGE INCREASE RECORDED SO FAR IS ONE PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE ANNUAL FORECAST OF A 9.5% INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) FOR 1993."
THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI WERE HIGHER BY 8.8% AND 9.8% RESPECTIVELY IN MAY THAN IN THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN APRIL WERE 8.5% AND 9.5%.
CPI'S, SHOWED LAST YEAR. THE
THE COMPOSITE CPI, WHICH WAS COMPILED BASED ON THE COMBINED EXPENDITURE PATTERN OF HOUSEHOLDS COVERED BY THE THREE AN INCREASE OF 8.9% IN MAY OVER THE SAME MONTH CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN APRIL WAS 8.5%.
INCREASE IN THE
THE RELATIVELY HIGHER YEAR-ON-YEAR RATES OF CPI'S IN MAY WERE MAINLY DUE TO A REBOUND IN THE PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AFTER THE SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN THE PREVIOUS TWO WHICH LIFTED THE BASIC FOOD COMPONENT OF THE CPI'S.
FOR MOST OTHER COMPONENTS SUCH AS HOUSING, RESTAURANTS, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR, AND CONSUMER SERVICES, INCREASES REMAINED ON A MODERATING TREND.
SLOWER
MONTHS,
MEALS AT THE PRICE
INCREASES
AND
FOOD
COMPARING MAY 1993 WITH MAY 1992, RELATIVELY IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR DURABLE GOODS (1.8% IN BOTH CPI (A) CPI(B)); FUEL AND LIGHT (3.3% IN BOTH CPI(A) AND CPI (B)); EXCLUDING MEALS AT RESTAURANTS (5.6% IN THE CPI(A) AND CPI (B)}; MISCELLANEOUS GOODS (7.1% AND 6.5%); AND FOOTWEAR (7.7% AND 8.1%).
5.3% IN THE CLOTHING AND
ON THE OTHER HAND, RELATIVELY FASTER INCREASES IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR HOUSING (12.8% IN CPI (A) AND 14% IN THE CPI(B)); ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO (9.6% AND 8.9%); AND TRANSPORT (9.1% AND 8.5%).
AS FOR SERVICES AND MEALS AT RESTAURANTS, THEIR CORRESPONDING INCREASES WERE 8.7% AND 8.8% IN THE CPI(A) AND 7.9% AND 8.8% IN THE CPI(B).
COMPARING MAY 1993 WITH APRIL 1993, THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED BY 0.7%. THIS COMPARISON WAS, HOWEVER, AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS.
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY TO MAY 1993, THE CPI(A) AND WERE, ON AVERAGE, HIGHER BY 8.5% AND 9% RESPECTIVELY THAN CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1992.
IN
CPI(B) THE
/FOR THE