XN000022-1990-03-24 — Page 2

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1990

THE

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY PUBLISHED

* * *

CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1990.

=

(SATURDAY)

THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) (OCT. 84/SEP. 85

100) FOR FEBRUARY 1990 WERE 136.5 AND 135.8 RESPECTIVELY, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF 8.4 PER CENT AND 8.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER FEBRUARY 1989. THESE RATES OF INCREASE WERE LOWER THAN THOSE RECORDED IN JANUARY 1990 PER CENT AND 9.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY).

IT SHOULD HOWEVER BE NOTED THAT THE COMPARISON WAS AFFECTED THE RELATIVELY HIGH BASE IN FEBRUARY 1989; THE LUNAR NEW YEAR FELL FEBRUARY LAST YEAR WHEN PRICES, ESPECIALLY FOOD PRICES, WERE SEASONALLY HIGH LEVELS.

(9.8

ÉT

IN

AT

BY

OF

COMPARING FEBRUARY WITH JANUARY 1990, THE CPI(A) INCREASED 1.0 PER CENT AND THE CPI(B), BY 0.8 PER CENT, LARGELY BECAUSE HIGHER PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND HIGHER CHARGES FOR MRALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES.

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1990, AT 131.3 AND 130.8 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 9.9 PER CENT AND 9.6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED FEBRUARY 1989.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED FEBRUARY 1990, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.7 PER CENT PER MONTH.

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 IN 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(B) BETWEEN $6,500 AND $9,999 A MONTH.

CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR FEBRUARY 1990 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY/SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1990 AND FEBRUARY 1989, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE = 100)

CPI (A)

CPI (B)

INDEX FOR

SECTION

XCHANGE OVER FEB. 90 JAN. 90

XCHANGE OVER FEB. 89

INDEX FOR

FEB. 90

XCHANGE OVER JAN. 90

%CHANGE OVER FEB. 89

FOODSTUFFS

139.5

+ 1.8

+ 9.1

141.1

+1.6

P

+ 9.6

HOUSING

126.4

+ 0.4

+ 7.1

121.8

+ 0.7

+ 6.7

/FUEL AND