XN000022-1993-10-21 — Page 7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1993

CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR SEPTEMBER

*

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) IN SEPTEMBER WAS 7.9% HIGHER THAN IN THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THIS WAS APPRECIABLY LOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING INCREASE OF 8.5% IN AUGUST AND WAS THE LOWEST SINCE APRIL THIS YEAR.

"THE

SLOWER INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) IN SEPTEMBER THAN IN AUGUST WAS MAINLY DUE TO MORE MODERATE RISE IN THE PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND IN RENT FOR HOUSING. THE RATES OF INCREASE IN THE PRICES OF MANY OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE CPI REMAINED GENERALLY STABLE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

**

HOWEVER, THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT, AFFECTED BY THE TYPHOON IN LATE SEPTEMBER, THE PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES HAD SURGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BARLY OCTOBER.

RATE

OF A

"TAKING THE FIRST NINE MONTHS TOGETHER, THE YEAR-ON-YEAR OF INCREASE IN THE CPI (A) AVERAGED AT 8.4%, AND WAS A FRACTION PERCENTAGE POINT LOWER THAN THE REVISED FORECAST INFLATION RATE OF 9.0% FOR 1993 AS A WHOLE," HE SAID.

THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI WERE HIGHER BY 8.1% AND 9.2% RESPECTIVELY IN SEPTEMBER THAN IN THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN AUGUST WERE 8.5% AND 9.2%.

THE COMPOSITE CPI, WHICH IS COMPILED BASED ON THE COMBINED EXPENDITURE PATTERN OF HOUSEHOLDS COVERED BY THE THREE CPIS, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 8.3% IN SEPTEMBER OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR. THIS WAS SLOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING INCREASE OF 8.7% IN AUGUST.

COMPARING SEPTEMBER 1993 WITH SEPTEMBER 1992, RELATIVELY SLOWER INCREASES IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR DURABLE GOODS (2.6% IN BOTH CPI(A) AND CPI(B)); FOOD EXCLUDING MEALS AT RESTAURANTS (3.6% IN THE CPI (A) AND 3.9% IN THE CPI(B)); FUEL AND LIGHT (3.9% IN BOTH CPI'S); MISCELLANEOUS GOODS (6.9% IN THE CPI(A) AND 6.4% IN THE CPI(B)); AND CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR (7.2% IN BOTH CPI'S).

ON THE OTHER HAND, RELATIVELY FASTER INCREASES IN PRICES WERE RECORDED FOR HOUSING (11.5% IN BOTH CPI(A) AND CPI(B)); ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO (10.7% IN THE CPI(A) AND 9.5% IN THE CPI(B)); AND MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES (9.9% AND 9.6%).

AS FOR MEALS AT RESTAURANTS AND TRANSPORT, THEIR CORRESPONDING

WERE 8.3% AND 8.6% IN THE CPI (A) AND 8.3% AND 7.8% IN

INCREASES CPI (B).

THE

COMPARING SEPTEMBER 1993 WITH AUGUST 1993, THE CPI(A) AND CPI (B) INCREASED BY 1.6% AND COMPARISON COULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS.

1. 3% RESPECTIVELY. HOWEVER, THIS

/FOR THE

Page &