Consumer Price Index for August 2005

The Consumer Price Index for the month of August 2005 remained unchanged. Consequently, the “All Items” index stood at a similar level as July 2005 at 109.1. The Point-to-Point inflation rate moved to 4.3 percent.

During the period under review, the group “Food” was the sole group to witness a decrease whilst, the groups “Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco”, “Fuel & Light” and “Household Furniture & Supplies” recorded increases. {{more}}The remaining groups, which include “Clothing & Footwear”, “Housing”, “Medical Care & Expenses”, “Transport & Communication”, “Education”, “Personal Services” and “Miscellaneous” remained unchanged.

The index for “Food” decreased by 0.2 percent. This decline was attributed to the downward movements in the prices for the following food items; chicken legs (8.1 percent), condensed milk (1.6 percent), breadfruit (16.7 percent) and tomato ketchup (1.5 percent). Partially offsetting these decreases were increases in the prices for chicken wings (1.8 percent), corn beef (2.5 percent), evaporated milk (1.9 percent), pumpkins (30.8 percent), and carrots (8.3 percent).

The index for “Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco” augmented by 0.3 percent, reflecting a rise in the price for cigarettes (imported). Similarly, the index for “Fuel & Light” increased due to a higher fuel surcharge rate per kilowatt hour (kWh), moving from 23.74 cents per kWh in July 2005 to 28.15 cents per kWh in August 2005.

The rise in the price for pillowcases was the main contributer to the increase in the index for “Household Furniture & Supplies.”