XN000022-1992-12-28 — Page 2

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1992

CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR NOVEMBER

FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SHOWED THAT CONSUMER PRICE INFLATION CONTINUED TO MODERATE IN NOVEMBER.

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) WAS 9.2% HIGHER IN NOVEMBER THAN IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR. THIS WAS LOWER THAN CORRESPONDING FIGURE OF 9.5% IN OCTOBER.

YEAR

THIS

THE

THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI WERE HIGHER BY 9.6% AND 9.5% RESPECTIVELY IN NOVEMBER THIS YEAR THAN IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN OCTOBER 1992 WERE 10.0% AND 9.5%.

THE COMPOSITE CPI, WHICH WAS COMPILED BASED ON THE COMBINED EXPENDITURE PATTERN OF HOUSEHOLDS COVERED BY THE THREE CPIS, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 9.4% IN NOVEMBER 1992 OVER THE SAME MONTH IN 1991. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN OCTOBER 1992 WAS 9.7%.

THE SLOWER YEAR-ON-YEAR RATES OF INCREASE IN CPI(A) AND CPI (B) IN NOVEMBER THAN IN OCTOBER WERE MAINLY DUE TO LOWER PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND MORE MODERATE INCREASES IN THE CHARGES FOR MEALS AT RESTAURANTS.

SLOWER

COMPARING NOVEMBER 1992 WITH NOVEMBER 1991, RELATIVELY INCREASES IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR DURABLE GOODS (2.0% IN THE CPI(A) AND 1.9% IN THE CPI(B)}; FOOD (EXCLUDING MEALS AT RESTAURANTS) (3.6% AND 3.8%); FUEL AND LIGHT (6.2% AND 5.9%); TRANSPORT (6.2% AND 6.8%); MISCELLANEOUS GOODS (6.7% AND 6.4%); AND CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR (9.1% AND 9.0%).

ON THE OTHER HAND, RELATIVELY FASTER INCREASES IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR HOUSING (15.0% IN THE CPI(A) AND 15.6% IN

THE CPI(B)); ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO (14.2% AND 13.0%); SERVICES (12.1% AND 10.9%); AND MEALS AT RESTAURANTS (9.9% IN BOTH CPI(A) AND CPI(B)).

COMPARING NOVEMBER WITH OCTOBER, THE CPI(A) INCREASED BY WHILE THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI INCREASED BY 0.4% AND RESPECTIVELY.

THIS COMPARISON WAS, HOWEVER, AFFECTED BY SEASONAL

0.1%,

1.1%

FACTORS.

PRIVATE

THE INCREASES WERE MAINLY DUE TO HIGHER RENT FOR SOME HOUSING UNITS, HIGHER PRICES OF OUTERCLOTHING, AND A RISE IN THE

CHARGES FOR MEALS AT RESTAURANTS,

HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF THESE INCREASES ON CPI(A) AND CPI (B) WAS OFFSET ΤΟ A SIGNIFICANT EXTENT BY THE CONSIDERABLE DECREASE IN THE PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES.

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING NOVEMBER, THE AVERAGE, HIGHER BY 9.5% THAN IN THE SAME PERIOD CORRESPONDING FIGURE FOR THE CPI(B) WAS 9.9%.

CPI(A) LAST

WAS, YEAR.

ON

THE

/FOR THE