Month-on-Month Growth Rates

At the national level, the monthly movement in the seasonally adjusted CPI for all items and health in January was recorded at its last month’s rate of 0.2 percent; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house, 0.3 percent; and recreation and culture, 0.1 percent. A double-digit increment was posted in the index of alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 10.1 percent in January from 0.2 percent in December. Moreover, higher adjustments were noted in the indices of clothing and footwear and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 0.3 percent from 0.2 percent and education, 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent. However, the seasonally adjusted CPI for restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services declined by 0.1 percent from a positive growth of 0.2 percent.

The practice of implementing business changes at the beginning of the year like increasing rental rates did not push up the indices for all items; clothing and footwear; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; health; recreation and culture and education in the country relative to the expected trend. On the other hand, this seasonal factor raised the alcoholic beverages and tobacco index during the month while it did not affect the index for restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services.

Compared to last month, the seasonally adjusted CPI in NCR for alcoholic beverages gained 6.2 percent in January from 0.2 percent in December; non-food index, 0.2 percent from 0.1 percent; and furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house index, 0.6 percent from 0.3 percent. Meanwhile, the transport index continued to post a negative rate of 0.3 percent from -0.1 percent while that for education index remained at 0.3 percent for six consecutive months.

Seasonal factor like the practice of implementing business changes at the start of the year pushed down the indices in non-food, transport and education in the area. On the other hand, that for the beverages and tobacco index was pushed up by this seasonal factor while no effect was seen in the index of furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house.

The monthly change in the seasonally adjusted CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco accelerated 10.6 percent in January from 0.3 percent in December; clothing and footwear index and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services index, 0.4 percent from 0.2 percent; recreation and culture index, 0.2 percent from 0.1 percent; and education index, 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent. Meanwhile, a slower rate was registered in the index of furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house at 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent. Those for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and health indices remained at their last month’s rate of 0.2 percent.

The practice of implementing business changes observed during the first month of every year did not pull up the indices of clothing and footwear; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; health; recreation and culture; education; and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services in the area. This seasonal factor however, pushed up the index for alcoholic beverages and tobacco.