Year-on-Year

The year-on-year movement of the Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index (CMWPI) in NCR inched up to 2.3 percent in January from 2.2 percent in December. This was effected by a higher annual hike in the cement index at 5.1 percent in January from 3.0 percent in December; reinforcing steel index, 4.0 percent from 2.9 percent; tileworks index, 2.8 percent from 2.5 percent; electrical works index, 4.0 percent from 3.9 percent; and plumbing fixtures and accessories/waterworks index, 2.0 percent from 1.3 percent. However, the fuels and lubricants index continued to post a negative rate of 1.7 percent from -1.6 percent. The other commodity groups had slower annual increments or retained their last month’s rate with the machinery and equipment rental index still recorded a zero growth.

Month-on-Month

On a monthly basis, wholesale prices of selected construction materials in NCR grew by 0.2 percent in January from 0.1 percent in December. A higher monthly gain was seen in fuels and lubricants index (0.5% from -0.5%); cement index (0.4% from 0.1%); and plumbing fixtures and accessories/waterworks index (1.0% from 0.1%). From zero growth, the indices of plywood and structural steel also went up to 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. On the other hand, the indices of hardware and doors, jambs and steel casement dropped by 0.1 percent from their respective last month’s growth rates of 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent and PVC pipes index, 0.2 percent from zero growth. Moreover, slower monthly add-ons were registered in the indices of sand and gravel, G.I. sheet, tileworks and electrical works. Those for the rest of the commodity groups remained at their previous month’s rate or were zero percent.

Higher prices of gravel, sand, concrete products, cement, selected hardware items, plywood, angle bars, plumbing fixtures and accessories, G.I. sheets, paints and gasoline were observed during the month. Meanwhile, general downward adjustments were noted in the prices of doors, jambs and steel casement, PVC doors and PVC pipes.