Consumer Price Index

JUNE 2006

The Consumer Price Index for the month of June 2006 increased over May 2006 by 0.5 percent. The “All Items” Index was 111.2 compared to 110.7 in the previous month. The point-to-point inflation rate was 2.3 percent.

Three of the eleven groups in the basket of goods and services showed an increase in the indices, while the other eight remained unchanged.{{more}}

The groups which increased were “Food” (0.4 percent), “Fuel & Light” (3.0 percent) and “Personal Services” (1.1 percent). Those that remained unchanged were “Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco”, “Clothing and Footwear”, “Housing”, “Household Furniture and Supplies”, “Medical Care and Expenses”, “Transport and Communication”, “Education”, and “Miscellaneous”.

The group “Food” increased due to increase in the price of various food items, including tomatoes (43.9 percent), cabbages (13.7 percent), garlic (11.3 percent), sweet peppers (10.9 percent), orange juice (7.5 percent), UTH milk (7.5 percent), egg plant (7.2 percent), and onions (5.8 percent).

A higher fuel surcharge rate was responsible for the increase in the group “Fuel and Light”n