WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 1984
MARCH CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES DECREASE
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THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) AND CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) FOR MARCH 1984 WERE 153 AND 152 RESPECTIVELY, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH, CP1(A) DECREASED BY 1 POINT
OR 0.6 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 1 POINT OR 0.7 PER CENT.
COMPARED WITH MARCH 1983, CPI(A) ROSE BY 13 POINTS OR 9.3 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 13 POINTS OR 9.4 PER CENT.
THE EQUIVALENT PERCENTAGES FOR JANUARY 1984 WERE 12.6 PER CENT AND 11.9 PER CENT, SUGGESTING THAT THERE WAS A SLOWING DOWN IN THE RATE OF PRICE INCREASE DURING THE FIRST QUARTER.
THE AVERAGE CPI (A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN MARCH 1984 WERE 147.1 AND 146.2 RESPECTIVELY, WHICH WERE 10.5 PER CENT AND 10.0 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN MARCH 1983.
DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDING IN MARCH 1984, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.2 PER CENT EACH MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(B), AT 0.3 PER CENT.
DURING MARCH, FOOD PRICES, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF LIVE POULTRY, FRESH VEGETABLES AND SALT-WATER FISH, WERE LOWER.
THE CPI(A) AND 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 1979-80 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY. THE CPI(A) REFERRED TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $1 000 AND $3 499 A MONTH, AND THE CPI(B) TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $3 500 AND $6 499 À MONTH AT THAT TIME.
THE INDEXES FOR MARCH 1984 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY/ SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES ARE GIVEN BELOW, TOGETHER WITH THOSE FOR FEBRUARY 1984 AND MARCH 1983.
(OCTOBER 1979 TO SEPTEMBER 1980 AVERAGE - 100)
CPI(A)
CPI(B)
SECTION
MAR. 83 FEB. 84 MAR. 84 MAR. 83 FEB. 84 MAR. 84
FOODSTUFFS
144
156
154
144
156
155
HOUSING
133
142
142
132
143
143
FUEL AND LIGHT
143
151
149
144
151
148
/ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
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