Macao's composite consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 3.81 percent year-on- year in January, up from a 3.73-percent growth in the previous month, the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) said on Tuesday.
The increase was mainly attributed to soaring prices of vegetables, rising charges for eating out and jumping rentals for dwellings and parking spaces, According to DSEC, notable increase was observed in the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, which jumped 39.11 percent compared with a year ago.
Higher tuition fee, rising wages of domestic helpers and lifting rentals for parking spaces drove up the price index of Education, Household Goods & Furnishings, and Transport by 8.91 percent, 5.96 percent and 5.95 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, price index of Clothing & Footwear (-2.23 percent) and Communication (-1.26 percent) registered decrease. Macao's CPI in January rose slightly by 0.04 percent on monthly basis on account of rising prices of tobacco, higher charges for in-patient services and eating out, as well as jumping prices of vegetables due to the extreme cold weather, DSEC data indicated.
On the other hand, seasonal sale of winter clothing and lower charges for package tours pushed down the price index of Clothing & Footwear and Recreation & Culture by 2.08 percent and 1.80 percent.
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