The
Development Planning Unit
Government of the British Virgin Islands

Introduction

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of September 2004 stood at a 133.4 index level,  whereas  the previous month August 2004 the index stood at 133.3. A quarter earlier June 2004 the index stood at 133.2. and the corresponding period a year earlier September 2003 stood at 132.2.  

Monthly Comparison

The subgroups mainly responsible for the upward changes in the monthly index were: Food, Beverage & Tobacco which  increased by 0.3 percent due mainly to the upward movement in the prices  of chicken leg, cooking oils, Lettuce and Onions and V-8 juices. Clothing & Footwear went up by 0.7 percent due to the increase in the cost of ladies and men shoes. On the other hand Furniture & Household Supplies which declined by 0.8 percent due to the lower price of gas range. All the other subgroups namely Housing, Transportation, Services, and Miscellaneous remained unchanged for the period in review.

Quarter Comparison     

On a  quarterly comparison, Food, Beverage & Tobacco rose by 0.7 percent. Clothing & Footwear increased by 0.8 percent and Miscellaneous went up by 0.2 percent. On the other hand Furniture & Household Supplies indicated  a drop of 0.7 percent and Services went down by 0.1 percent while Hosing and Transportation remained unchanged. 

Annual Comparison

On an annual comparison, the following subgroups reflected significant changes: The Services subgroup increased by 3.0 percent increases: Furniture & Household Supplies  fell by 0.1 percent; Clothing & Footwear went up by 0.7 percent. Also, Transportation dropped by 0.4 percent. Food, Beverage & Tobacco increased by 1.7 percent while the Housing subgroup moved up 0.2 percent. The Miscellaneous subgroup increased by 1.1 percent. 

Rate of Inflation

The point-to-point monthly, quarterly, and annual rates of inflation stood at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.9 percent respectively.

TABLE 1
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: MONTHLY, QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL COMPARISONS
(MARCH 1995=100)

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