MAY 2014

Year-on-Year and Month-on-Month Growth Rates
of General Retail Price Index

Year-on-Year

• The annual growth in the General Retail Price Index (GRPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) advanced 2.6 percent in May. It resulted from faster annual increments in the indices of the heavily-weighted food at 3.8 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 6.8 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 1.8 percent; and machinery and transport equipment, 1.0 percent. Meanwhile, the annual increase in beverages and tobacco index eased to 3.1 percent, crude materials, inedible except fuels index, 1.6 percent; and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials index, 1.1 percent. The miscellaneous manufactured articles index moved at its last month’s rate of 1.6 percent.

   

  

   

   

By Commodity Group, Month-on-Month

The GRPI for all items in NCR went up 0.3 percent in May.

• The heavily-weighted food index picked up by 0.8 percent. This was attributed to price gains in selected food items such as rice, chicken, beef, pork, dairy products, fish, vegetables, coffee, sugar and cooking oil.

• Upward price adjustments were noted in selected liquor and wines, softdrinks and cigarettes. Thus, the index of beverages and tobacco inched up 0.1 percent.

• Price add-ons in selected paints and related compounds and medicines resulted to a 0.2 percent growth in the index for chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats.

• The index of manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials rose 0.3 percent as prices of cement, hollow blocks, steel bars, and corrugated GI sheet were on the uptrend.

• The machinery and transport equipment index grew by 0.1 percent. Prices of selected wiring devices were higher during the month.

• A zero growth was seen in the indices of crude materials, inedible except fuels; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials; and miscellaneous manufactured articles.