Consumer Price Index
APRIL 2006
The Consumer Price Index for the month for April 2006 increased by 0.2 percent over the previous month. The âAll Itemsâ Index stood at 109.6 in April, while in March it was 109.4. The Point-to-Point inflation rate was 1.6 percent compared to 3.9 percent for April 2005.
Of the 11 groups in the basket of goods and services, the groups âHousingâ, âFuel & Lightâ, and âHousehold Furniture & Suppliesâ increased.{{more}} Meanwhile the groups âFoodâ and âPersonal Servicesâ decreased. No change was registered in the remaining six groups, namely: âAlcoholic Beverages & Tobaccoâ, âClothing & Footwear,â âMedical Care & Expensesâ, âTransport & Communicationâ, âEducationâ, and âMiscellaneous.â
The group âHousingâ increased by 0.8 percent, following an increase in the premium for house insurance (8.7 percent).
The increase in the fuel surcharge rate was responsible for the 7.1 percent increase in the group âFuel & Lightâ, while the group âHousehold Furniture & Suppliesâ realized a 0.2 percent increase due mainly to the rise in the price of dishwashing liquid (1.2 percent), candles (8.0 percent), and light bulbs and tubes (26.0 percent).
The group âFoodâ declined by 0.3 percent mainly as a result of the lower prices for turkey wings (10.6 percent), pumpkins (14.0 percent), and sweet peppers (20.0 percent). Meanwhile, the group âPersonal Servicesâ experienced a 0.1 percent decline as the price of baby diapers fell by 6.2 percentn