Consumer prices edge up

The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices went up by 0.2 percent in May, when compared to April.

The National Statistics Office said this primarily reflected an increase of 1.1 percent in the clothing and footwear index, mainly due to seasonal price rises in garments and footwear.

Higher prices of accommodation services caused the restaurants and hotels index to go up by one percent.

Upward shifts in the prices of certain financial services underlay an increase of 0.2 percent in the miscellaneous goods and servicesindex.

The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index went up by 0.1 percent mainly due to an increase in actual rentals paid by tenants

The furniture, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house Iindex registered an increase of 0.1 percent, on account of higher prices of furniture and furnishings.

The recreation and culture Index went down by 0.3 percent, mainly due to lower prices of books.

A downward movement in the prices of vegetables and fish brought about a decrease of 0.2 percent in the food and non-alcoholic index. In May, the 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 4.5 percent, whereas the annual rate of inflation stood at 3.4 percent.