SEPTEMBER 2013
Year-on-Year and Month-on-Month Growth Rates
of General Retail Price Index: September and August 2013
| All Items | September 2013 | August 2013 | Year-to-date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year-on-Year | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| Month-on-Month | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Year-on-Year
The annual growth in the General Retail Price Index (GRPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) remained at its August rate of 1.7 percent. The annual adjustment of the heavily-weighted food index rose 0.5 percent in September from -1.0 percent in August; beverages and tobacco index, 16.4 percent from 16.3 percent; crude materials, inedible except fuels index, 3.1 percent from 2.6 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats index, 1.5 percent from 1.2 percent; and machinery and transport equipment index, 1.3 percent from 1.2 percent. On the other hand, slower annual gains were correspondingly noted in the indices of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials and miscellaneous manufactured articles at 0.7 percent and 1.4 percent from their respective last month’s rates of 4.1 percent and 3.1 percent. The manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials index retained its August rate of 1.7 percent.
By Commodity Group, Month-on-Month
Measured from a month ago level, the growth in the GRPI for all items in NCR inched up 0.4 percent in September from 0.3 percent in August.
The food index advanced 1.1 percent from 0.7 percent. This was due to the increases in the prices of eggs, milk, butter, fish, rice, corn, fruits, vegetables and cooking oil.
The beverages and tobacco index slightly went up 0.2 percent from 0.1 percent as prices of liquor, wines, softdrinks and cigarettes were generally on the uptrend.
Price hikes in gasoline, LPG and kerosene pushed up the mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials index by 1.1 percent.
Add-ons in the prices of paints, toilet soap, laundry soap, and insecticides raised the index for chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats at 0.4 percent from zero growth.
The machinery and transport equipment index grew by 0.2 percent from -0.1 percent. This was attributed to the price increments in safety switch, solid electrical wire and GI corrugated sheet.
A 0.1 percent decline was seen in the index of crude materials, inedible except fuels due to price cut s in gravel.
Plywood, cement, hollow blocks and nails were quoted lower during the month in review. Thus, the manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials index dropped by 0.2 percent from zero growth.
No movement was seen in the index of miscellaneous manufactured articles as it recorded a zero growth during the month from 0.2 percent in August.
