December 2007

• Month-on-Month

            The Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index (CMWPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) registered a slower rate of increase of 0.1 percent in December from 0.2 percent in November as the index of machinery and equipment rental further dropped to -1.9 percent from -1.4 percent. On the other hand, higher price movement was noted in plywood at 0.2 percent in December from -0.2 percent in November. Moreover, prices of the following commodity groups picked up during the month from zero growth: hardware, 1.4 percent; PVC pipes, 0.6 percent; plumbing fixtures, 0.2 percent; G.I. sheets, 0.9 percent; exterior electrical equipment/supplies, 1.0 percent; and UPVC water pipes, 1.5 percent. Prices of seventeen (17) commodity groups generally remained stable as they recorded zero growth during the month.
   

• Year-on-Year

            The annual inflation rate of the CMWPI in NCR eased to 3.4 percent in December from 3.6 percent in November. Annual price declines were posted in plywood (-2.0% from -2.1%), exterior electrical equipment/supplies (-3.3% from -5.0%), interior electrical fixtures and devices (-0.8% from -0.6%), and machinery and equipment rental (-10.7% from -8.9%). Slower annual price adjustments recorded in sand, stone and gravel, cement, lumber, concrete products, paints, G.I. sheets, and aluminum and other metal products also contributed to the downtrend. Meanwhile, annual add-ons in the prices of fuels and lubricants, glass and glass products, hardware, PVC pipes, plumbing fixtures, reinforcing steel, and structural steel were higher while the annual rate noticed in the prices of blasting materials was zero. The rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month's rates.

   

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  Source:    National Statistics Office
                    Manila, Philippines
  
  Page last revised:   January 17, 2008