Retail Price Index rises in November

The Retail Price Index increased to 113.50 from 113.20 in October, the National Statistics Office said.

"This primarily reflected an increase of 3.47 per cent in the Clothing and Footwear Index," the office said.

There were also a 1.34 per cent increase in the Food Index, mainly on account of higher prices of vegetables, pasta and cheese.

The Housing Index went up by 0.48 per cent, mainly as a result of higher rents.

The Other Goods and Services Index went up by 0.43 per cent on account of increases in the prices of jewellery.

Higher prices of non-alcoholic beverages were the main factor behind a 0.21 per cent rise in the Beverages and Tobacco Index. An increase of 0.11 per cent in the Water, Electricity, Gas and Fuels Index was due to a price rise in liquid fuels. Marginal increases were registered in the Household Equipment and House Maintenance Cost Index and the Personal Care and Health Index.

The Transport and Communications Index decreased by 1.67 per cent due to lower prices of air transport services. The Recreation and Culture Index decreased by 0.12 per cent, mainly on account of lower prices of computers.

In November, the twelve-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 1.04 per cent, whereas the annual rate stood at 3.29 per cent.

The NSO also reported that the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices decreased to 103.62 in November from
105.92 in October.

It said there was a 12.2 per cent fall in the Restaurants and Hotels Index, mainly attributable to seasonal factors. A decrease of 2.4 per cent was registered in the Recreation and Culture Index, mainly due to price reductions in computers and package holidays. A dip in the price of passenger air transport was the main cause of a 0.8 per cent decrease in the Transport Index.

The NSO reported a 3.5 percent rise in the Clothing and Footwear Index as well as higher prices of dairy products, vegetables, bread and cereals, among other sectors.