Price hikes in selected construction materials in NCR remained at 0.5 percent in February. Higher price increments were correspondingly noted in masonry materials and plumbing materials at 0.9 percent and 0.2 percent in February from their respective January rates of 0.2 percent and zero growth. On the other hand, price increase in electrical materials was slower at 1.9 percent from 2.1 percent; tinsmithry materials, 0.2 percent from 0.5 percent; and miscellaneous construction materials, 0.8 percent from 1.3 percent. Prices of painting materials and related compounds decreased by -0.2 percent from 2.3 percent while price uptick in carpentry materials was still at its previous month's rate of 0.2 percent.

Generally, the retail prices of selected construction materials in NCR continued to remain stable as it still registered a zero growth rate in December. While no movement was still posted in the prices of carpentry materials, declines were seen in the prices of electrical materials (-0.1% from 0.5%), painting materials and related compounds (-0.4% from 0.3%) and miscellaneous construction materials (-0.3% from zero growth). However, the rest of the commodity groups recorded higher monthly positive growth rates.

The month-on-month inflation rate in the retail prices of selected construction materials in NCR went up at a slower rate of 0.4 percent in October from 0.5 percent in September as prices of painting materials and related compounds further dropped to -0.4 percent from -0.1 percent. Moreover, a slower price increase was noted in miscellaneous construction materials at 0.6 percent from 2.6 percent. Prices of masonry and plumbing materials remained stable as their group's indexes registered a zero growth from 0.4 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. Price gain in electrical materials remained at 0.3 percent while the rest of the commodity groups posted higher monthly growth rates.