XN000022-1986-08-26 — Page 7

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1986

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CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR JULY

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR JULY 1986. THE NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(B) (OCTOBER 84/SEPTEMBER 85 100) FOR JULY 1986 WERE 104.4 AND 104.5 RESPECTIVELY.

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COMPARED WITH JUNE 1986 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, THE NEW CPI(A) INCREASED BY 0.5 PER CENT AND THE NEW CPI(B), BY 0.3 PER CENT.

THE 1979-80-BASED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) FOR JULY 1986 WERE 165.1 AND 166.2 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 3.5 PER CENT AND 4,0 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER JULY 1985, COMPARED WITH JUNE 1986, CPI(A) INCREASED BY 0.5 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 0.3 PER CENT.

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED JULY 1986, AT 162.3 AND 163.2 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 2.8 PER CENT AND 3.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED JULY 1985.

PRICE MOVEMENTS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE BASED ON THE NEW CPI SERIES.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED JULY 1986, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NEW CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.5 PER CENT PER MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NEW CPI(B), AT 0.4 PER CENT PER MONTH.

DURING JULY, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES INCREASED. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH FRUIT, LIVE POULTRY, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR DECREASED.

THE NEW CPI(A) AND THE NEW 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 NEW CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $2 000 AND $6 499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE NEW CPI(B) BETWEEN $6 500 AND $9 999 A MONTH.

CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR JULY 1986 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY-SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO NEW CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH JUNE 1986, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

/(OCTOBER 1984