XN000022-1989-09-25 — Page 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1989

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR AUGUST PUBLISHED

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (MONDAY)

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR AUGUST 1989.

PUBLISHED

THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) (OCT. 84/SEP. 85 = 100) FOR AUGUST WERE 130.7 AND 130.2 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 9.9 CENT AND 9.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER AUGUST 1988.

1989 PER

THESE RATES OF INCREASE WERE LOWER THAN THOSE RECORDED IN JUNE, JULY, WHICH WERE 11.0 PER CENT AND 10.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, AND IN WHICH WERE 10.3 PER CENT AND 10.0 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

COMPARING AUGUST WITH JULY 1989, THE CPI(A) AND THE CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED BY 0.3 PER CENT, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIGHER PRICES OF FRESH RESTAURANTS AND OTHER VEGETABLES AND HIGHER CHARGES FOR MEALS IN EATING PLACES AND FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT.

ENDED CENT AND 12 MONTHS

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS AUGUST 1989, AT 125.4 AND 125.1 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 9.5 PER 9.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE ENDED AUGUST 1988.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 1989, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.4 PER CENT PER MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(B), AT 0.5 PER CENT PER MONTH.

IN

THE CPI(A) AND THE CPI(B) ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF

50 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT, RESPECTIVELY, OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS HONG KONG, WHICH WERE DERIVED FROM THE 1984/85 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY. THE CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $2,000 AND $6,499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE CPI(8) BETWEEN $6,500 AND $9,999 A MONTH.

NINE CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR AUGUST 1989 IN RESPECT OF THE

PRICE INDEXES, AS IN THE TWO CONSUMER SECTIONS COMMODITY/SERVICE COMPARED WITH JULY 1989 AND AUGUST 1988, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE = 100)

CPI(A)

CPI(B)

SECTION

% CHANGE % CHANGE INDEX FOR

OVER

OVER AUG. 88 AUG. 89 JUL. 89

INDEX X CHANGE % CHANGE

OVER FOR

OVER AUG. 89 JUL.

AUG. 88

89

FOODSTUFFS

133.0

+0.5

+11.3

134.1

+0.5

+12.0

HOUSING

122.3

+0.3

+7.6

117.7

+0.3

+5.8

FUEL, AND LIGHT

95.9

-0.0%

+3.0

96.

2

-0.0*

+2.5

/ALCOHOLIC DRINKS