Higher costs lead to increase in RPI

The Retail Price Index went up 0.2 per cent to 104.15 last month from 103.94 in July.

The National Statistics Office said this primarily reflected an increase of 1.04 per cent in the other goods and services index, mainly due to higher jewellery prices.

An upward movement in the price of fish caused the food index to go up by 0.96 per cent.

Costlier fuels and higher airfares brought about an increase of 0.92 per cent in the transport and communication index.

The beverages and tobacco index went up by 0.44 per cent due to higher prices of non-alcoholic beverages.

Higher prices of tiles underlay an increase of 0.1 per cent in the housing index.

Seasonal decreases in the prices of garments caused the clothing and footwear index to go down by 4.52 per cent.

The household equipment and house maintenance cost index fell by 0.59 per cent, mainly due to lower-priced furniture.

A downward movement in the price of computers caused the recreation and culture index to drop by 0.3 per cent.

The 12-month moving average rate of inflation in August stood at 2.64 per cent, whereas the annual rate stood at 3.16 per cent.