CPI in September rose by 3.77%

KUWAIT: The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for September 2016 recorded an increase estimated at 3.77 percent compared with the same month in 2015, the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) has revealed. The index figure for September 2016 recorded increase at 143.3, by 0.99 percent as a result of the rise in prices of some major groups of influential figures in the movement and low standard of some groups, the bureau said in its monthly report yesterday. The report gives indications of the rates of changes in prices for the commodity groups influencing the families’ expenditure and the ability of consumer spending. This index uses the year 2007 as the base year.

The Index of the Main Group of “Food and Beverages” increased in September, 2016, by 0.59 percent. The annual inflation rate for the group rose last month by 0.78 percent compared with the same month in 2015, it showed.

The index of “Tobacco and Narcotics” group stood in September at 152.5, just like the previous month, with no change. The annual inflation rate for this group increased in September by 0.46 percent compared with the corresponding period last year. The Index of “Clothing and Footwear” fell last month by 0.46 percent, while its annual inflation rate increased by 0.78 percent month-onmonth. The Index of the Group of “Home Furnishings and Equipment Maintenance” decreased in September by 0.20 percent, while its annual inflation rose by 2.08 percent compared with the same period last year, the report pointed out. The Index of the “Health” group increased 0.08 percent, while its inflation rate increased in September 2016 by 1.87 percent, compared with the same month in 2015, it concluded. — KUNA