XN000022-1986-12-24 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1986

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR NOVEMBER

*****

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR NOVEMBER 1986. THE NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(B) (OCTOBER 84-SEPTEMBER 85-100) FOR NOVEMBER 1986 WERE 105.0 AND 105.3 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 3.8 PER CENT AND 4.0 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER NOVEMBER 1989.

COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1986 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, THE NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(D) BOTH INCREASED BY 0,2 PER CENT,

THE 1979-80-BASED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) FOR NOVEMBER 1986 WERE 166.5 AND 168.4 RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1986, CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED BY 0.4 PER CENT.

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 1986, AT 163.7 AND 165.1 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 2.7 PER CENT AND 3.4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 1985.

PRICE MOVEMENTS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE BASED ON THE NEW CP1 SERIES.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED NOVEMBER 1986, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(3) BOTH INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.4 PER CENT PER MONTH.

DURING NOVEMBER, RETAIL PRICES OF NEWSPAPERS, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR INCREASED. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND SALT-WATER FISH 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 NOVEMBER 1986 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY-SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1986 AND NOVEMBER 1985, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984