XN000022-1987-03-26 — Page 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1987

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CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1987. THE NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(B) (OCTOBER 84 - SEPTEMBER 85 100) FOR FEBRUARY 1987 WERE 106.6 AND 106.7 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 3.9 PER CENT OVER FEBRUARY 1986 FOR BOTH INDEXES.

COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1987 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, THE NEW CPI(A) INCREASED BY 0.7 PER CENT AND THE NEW CPI(B), BY 0.5 PER CENT. THE AVERAGE NEW CPI(A) AND AVERAGE NEW CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1987 WERE 104.4 AND 104.7 RESPECTIVELY,

THE 1979-80-BASED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) FOR FEBRUARY 1987 WERE 169.1 AND 170.4 RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1987, CPI(A) INCREASED BY 0.7 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 0.6 PER CENT. THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1987, AT 165.4 AND 166.8 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 3.0 PER CENT AND 3.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1986.

PRICE MOVEMENTS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE BASED ON THE NEW CPI

SERIES.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED FEBRUARY 1987, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.3 PER CENT PER MONTH.

DURING FEBRUARY, BUS FARES, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH FRUIT AND CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES INCREASED. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND OUTERCLOTHING AND CHARGES FOR HAIRDRESSING 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 HOUSE HOLDS 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 FEBRUARY 1987 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1987 AND FEBRUARY 1986, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE = 100)

NEW CP! (A)

NEW CPI (B)

SECTION

INDEX FOR FEB 87

% CHANGE OVER JAN 87

% CHANGE INDEX

OVER

FOR FEB 86 FEB 87

% CHANGE

% CHANGE

OVER JAN 87

OVER FEB 86

FOODSTUFFS

103.3

+0.7

+2.0

104.0

+0.8

+2.3

/HOUSING

108.6