8
Table 1 Consumer Price Indices and Rates of Increase for January 1997 (Oct. 94 - Sep. 95 = 100)
CPI(A)
%
CPI(B)
%
Hang Seng CPI
%
Composite CPI
%
over
Index change Index change Index change
for
for
for Jan. 97 Jan. 96 Jan. 97 Jan. 96 Jan. 97 Jan. 96 Jan. 97 Jan. 96
over
over
Index change for over
Component
Food
106.1
Meals bought away from 107.5
+3.9
+3.6
106.4
107.1
+3.6 105.7
+3.3 105.7
+3.3
+2.8
106.2 +3.6
107.1 +3.3
home
Food, excluding meals
104.4
+4.2 105.2
+4.2 105.7
+4.3 104.9 +4.2
bought away from home
Housing
118.3
Fuel and light
112.6
Alcoholic drinks and
108.9
+5.4
109.2 +5.3
+9.5 117.9 +8.4 120.4 +9.2 118.8
+8.1 112.5 +8.2 113.2 +9.0 112.7 +8.3
108.0 +4.5 108.9 +5.2
+8.9
tobacco
Clothing and footwear
115.7
+9.4
116.4
103.4
Durable goods
103.7
+2.0
+10.0
103.6 +2.5 103.5 +1.8 103.6 +2.2
+3.5 112.0 +7.8
Miscellaneous goods
107.8
+11.6 106.5 +7.6
104.6
+4.5 106.4 +8.1
Transport
110.3
+6.0 110.3 +5.7
Miscellaneous services
All items
113.3
109.5
+6.9 112.3 +6.8 109.7
+4.9 110.0 +5.6
+5.7 111.7 +6.5
110.9 +6.6 111.4 +6.3 111.4
+5.9 111.3 +6.3
Monthly consumer price indices are compiled on the basis of (a) expenditure patterns of relevant households and (b) prices collected currently in the month. The expenditure patterns underlying the 1994/95-based consumer price indices are based on those patterns derived from the 1994/95 Household Expenditure Survey. The CPI(A) is based on the expenditure pattern of about 50% of households in Hong Kong, which had an average monthly expenditure of $4,000-$15,999 in 1994/95 (broadly equivalent to $4,300-$17,300 at 1996 prices). The CPI(B) is based on the expenditure pattern of the next 30% of households, which had an average monthly expenditure of $16,000-$29,999 in 1994/95 (broadly equivalent to $17,300-$32,600 at 1996 prices). The Hang Seng CPI is based on the expenditure pattern of the next 10% of households, which had an average monthly expenditure of $30,000- $59,999 in 1994/95 (broadly equivalent to $32,600-$65,300 at 1996 prices).
Whereas the CPI(A), CPI(B) and Hang Seng CPI are based on the expenditure patterns of groups of households with different magnitudes of household expenditure, the Composite CPI is compiled based on the expenditure pattern of all these households taken together. Thus, while the CPI(A), CPI(B) and Hang Seng CPI show the impact of consumer price changes on different groups of households, the Composite CPI shows the impact of consumer price changes on the household sector generally.