XN000022-1991-01-24 — Page 19

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1991

18

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER PUBLISHED

*

THE CPI (A) (OCT. 84

-

SEP. 85 = 100) FOR DECEMBER 1990, AT 148.6 WAS 11.3 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN DECEMBER 1989 WHILE THE CPI(B), AT 148.2, WAS 11.1 PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER 1990 PUBLISHED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE

CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER WERE 10.4 PER CENT AND 10.9 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY FOR CPI(A) AND 10.4 PER CENT AND 10.8 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY FOR CPI(B).

THE MORE RAPID INCREASES IN RECENT MONTHS REFLECTED THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF HIGHER OIL PRICES, HIGHER HOUSING RENTALS, TAXI FARES AND CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES, AS WELL AS A RELATIVELY LOW BASE OF COMPARISON IN THE LATTER PART OP 1989.

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1990, AT 142.0 AND 141.5 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 9.8 PER CENT AND 9.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THAT IN 1989.

THE ANNUAL RATE OF INCREASE FOR CPI (A) IN 1990 AT 9.8 PER CENT WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THAT IN 1989 AT 10.1 PER CENT WHILE THE ANNUAL RATES OF INCREASE FOR CPI(B) IN BOTH 1990 AND 1989 WERE AT 9.7 PER CENT.

ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, FASTER RATES OF INCREASE IN CPI(A) IN DECEMBER 1990 WERE RECORDED IN THE INDEXES FOR FUEL AND LIGHT (19.0 PER CENT), TRANSPORT AND VEHICLES (15.1 PER CENT), ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO [FOR HOME CONSUMPTION] (14.9 PER CENT), SERVICES (13.1 PER CENT) AND HOUSING (12.2 PER CENT).

THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE FOR THE SAME COMPONENTS IN THE CPI(B) WERE 17.8 PER CENT, 15.8 PER CENT, 15.1 PER CENT, 12.3 PER CENT AND 11.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

THE

THE INDEX,

INDEX FOR FOODSTUFFS, WHICH HAS THE LARGEST WEIGHTING IN INCREASED BY 11.0 PER CENT IN CPI (A) AND BY 11.1 PER CENT

IN CPI(B).

THESE SIX COMPONENTS TOGETHER ACCOUNTED FOR 90 PER CENT OF OVERALL INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) AND 88 PER CENT OF THE INCREASE IN CPI(B).

THE THE

COMPARING DECEMBER 1990 WITH NOVEMBER 1990, THE CPI(A) AND THE CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED BY 0.9 PER CENT, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIGHER RENTS FOR SOME PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOUSING UNITS, HIGHER CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES, HIGHER TAXI FARES, AND HIGHER PRICES OF FRESH FRUIT, OUTERCLOTHING AND CIGARETTES.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT RATE OF 0.9 PRR CENT PER MONTH.

THE

1990, AN AVERAGE

/THE CPI(A)