CPI increases 0.1pc in February
KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1 per cent to 122.5 in February compared with 122.4 in the same month last year, said the Statistics Department yesterday.
The increase in the overall index was driven by the indices of miscellaneous goods and services (1.6 per cent), food and nonalcoholic beverages (1.4 per cent), alcohol beverages and tobacco (0.7 per cent) and health (0.7 per cent), said chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin in a statement.
Other indices contributing to the rise were furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.3 per cent), recreation services and culture (0.1 per cent) and education (0.1 per cent).
All these contributed 50.7 per cent to the overall weight, he said.
“Of the 552 items covered in the CPI, 326 items showed an increase in February. (In contrast,) 147 items declined while 79 items were unchanged,” he said.
The core index, which excluded most volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices of goods and services, gained 0.7 per cent year-on-year in February.
The increase was driven by miscellaneous goods and services (1.6 per cent), food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.1 per cent), health (0.7 per cent), transport (0.5 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.4 per cent), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.3 per cent), education (0.1 per cent) and recreation services and culture (0.1 per cent).
Uzir added that based on the performance of 552 items by category of goods and services, nondurable goods (296 items) was the category that experienced the most price increase with 201 items, while 79 items decreased and 16 items were unchanged.
Transport fell by two per cent to 111.6 from 113.9 in the corresponding month of 2020, contributing 14.6 per cent of the CPI weight. Similarly, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels declined by 0.8 per cent, followed by clothing and footwear (-0.4 per cent) and restaurants and hotels (-0.3 per cent).
Meanwhile, the CPI from January to February decreased 0.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. On a monthly basis, CPI increased by 0.3 per cent in February from January, attributed by transport (2.3 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.2 per cent), and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.2 per cent).
“The CPI without fuel increased 0.4 per cent in February to 113.6 as compared to 113.1 in the same month of the preceding year,” said Uzir.
The CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON 95, unleaded petrol RON 97 and diesel.