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Introduction
A Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 133.3 registered for the
month of August 2003. This is 0.1 percent higher that recorded for the
previous month July 2003 (133.2). One year earlier (August 2003) the index stood at
133.2.
Monthly Comparison
The subgroup mainly responsible for the negligible
increase in the index was: Food, Beverage & Tobacco which rose
by 0.3 percent due mainly to an upward movement in prices of chicken
legs, cheesed (cheddar), (white) potatoes. The Miscellaneous subgroup
went up by 0.2 due to the price increase of toilet soap. The Furniture & Household Supplies
subgroup rose by 0.1 percent due to the higher prices of disinfectant
while the Services subgroup dropped by 0.1 percent due to the lower
price of aspirin & paracetamol. The other subgroup namely Housing, Clothing Footwear, Transportation
all
remained unchanged for the period under review.
Annual Comparison
On an annual comparison, some subgroups indicated
increases. Food, Beverage & Tobacco rose by 1.3 percent, Housing by
0.2 percent, Services by 3.0 percent and Miscellaneous went up by 1.1
percent. On
the other hand, the subgroups, which showed decreases were Furniture
& Household Supplies which fell by 3.4 percent, Clothing & Footwear
by 0.8 percent and
Transportation went down by 0.4 percent.
Rate of Inflation
The point-to-point monthly and annual rates of inflation
both stood at 0.1 percent .
TABLE 1
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: MONTHLY AND ANNUAL COMPARISONS
(MARCH 1995=100)
| SUBGROUPS |
Wt. |
Aug
2004 |
July
2004 |
Mon.
Comp. |
Aug
2003 |
Ann.
Comp. |
| Food, Beverage & Tobacco |
268 |
122.4 |
122.1 |
0.3 |
120.9 |
1.3 |
| Housing |
195 |
132.1 |
132.1 |
0.0 |
131.8 |
0.2 |
| Furniture & Household Supplies |
118 |
156.2 |
156.1 |
0.1 |
161.6 |
-3.4 |
| Clothing & Footwear |
151 |
115.4 |
115.4 |
0.0 |
116.4 |
-0.8 |
| Transportation |
117 |
146.20 |
146.2 |
0.0 |
146.7 |
-0.4 |
| Services |
99 |
149.5 |
149.7 |
-0.1 |
145.1 |
3.0 |
| Miscellaneous |
52 |
134.0 |
133.7 |
0.2 |
132.5 |
1.1 |
| All Groups |
1000 |
133.3 |
133.2 |
0.1 |
133.2 |
0.1 |
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