The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released on November 21, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for October 2006. According to the new 2004/05-based series of Composite CPI, overall consumer prices rose by 2.0 percent in October 2006 over a year earlier, slightly smaller than the 2.1 percent increase in September.
The slightly smaller year-on-year increase in the Composite CPI in October 2006 than in September was mainly attributable to the enlarged decrease in the fuel cost variation charge for towngas. Another factor was that the increase in the prices of fresh vegetables had reduced.
Analysed by sub-index and on a year-on-year comparison, the CPI(A), CPI(B), and CPI(C) rose by 1.7 percent, 2.1 percent and 2.1 percent respectively in October 2006, also smaller than the corresponding increases of 1.9 percent, 2.2 percent and 2.3 percent in September.
For discerning the latest trend in consumer prices, it is also useful to look at the changes in the seasonally adjusted CPIs. For the 3-month period ended October 2006, the average monthly rates of increase in the seasonally adjusted Composite CPI, CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were all 0.1 percent, same as those for the 3-month period ended September 2006.
Amongst the various CPI components, year-on-year increases in prices were recorded in October 2006 for housing (4.7 percent in the Composite CPI and 3.9 percent in the CPI(A)), clothing and footwear (3.1 percent in the Composite CPI and 5.2 percent in the CPI(A)), food (excluding meals bought away from home) (2.8 percent in the Composite CPI and 3.0 percent in the CPI(A)).
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