XN000022-1988-01-25 — Page 5

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1988

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER PUBLISHED

(MONDAY) PUBLISHED

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER 1987. THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) (OCTOBER 84/SEPTEMBER 85 = 100) FOR DECEMBER 1987 WERE REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 7.5 PBR CENT AND 7.0 PER OVER DECEMBER 1986. COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1987 AND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, INCREASED BY 1.3 PER CENT AND THE CPI (B), BY 1.1 PER CENT.

BOTH 113.0, CENT RESPECTIVELY BEARING IN MIND THE CPI(A)

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE AT 109.4 AND 109.5 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 6.5 PER CENT AND RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN IN 1986.

DURING

THE THREE-MONTH

WHOLE OF 1987, 5.3 PER CENT

THE 1987, OF 1.0 PER 0.9 PIR

ENDED DECEMBER PERIOD SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE

AT CPI (B), SEASONALLY THE CENT PER MONTH,

CENT PER MONTH.

AND

ADJUSTED

OF FRESH VEGETABLES DURING

THE SHARP INCREASE IN THE PRICES DECEMBER CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE UPSURGE IN BOTH CPI(A) AND AS A RESULT OF THE COLD CPI(B), MAINLY BECAUSE OF REDUCED SUPPLY

REDUCED SUPPLY

WAS.

ONLY HOWEVER, WEATHER IN BARLY DECEMBER. THIS

TOWARDS THE END TEMPORARY. PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES TENDED TO EASE OF THE MONTH.

THE CPI(A)

AND

BASED

THE ON RESPECTIVELY,

EXPENDITURE OF URBAN THE 1984/85

ARE THE CPI(B)

CENT, AND 30 PER PATTERNS OF 50 PER CENT HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WHICH WERE DERIVED FROM

THE CPI (A) REFERS ΤΟ HOUSEHOLDS HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY. SPENDING BETWEEN $2,000 AND $6,499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE CPI(B) BETWEEN $6,500 AND $9,999 A MONTH.

OF THE

CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER 1987 IN RESPECT NINE COMMODITY/SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1987 AND DECEMBER 1986, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE = 100)

AS

CPI(A)

CPT(B)

SECTION

INDEX FOR DEC.87

* CHANGE X CHANGE

OVER NOV.87

OVER DEC.86

INDEX FOR DEC.87

% CHANGE OVER NOV,87

% CHANGE OVER DEC.86

FOODSTUFFS

110.8

+2.4

+9.6

111.2

+2.2

+9.3

HOUSING

111.3

+0.1

+2.8

108.6

+0.1

+2.2

/FUEL AND