CPI falls 0.2 pct y-o-y to 122.1 per cent in January

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined 0.2 per cent to 122.1 last month from 122.4 in January 2020, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

In a statement yesterday, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the decrease in the overall index was a ributed by the decline in transport (-5.1 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (-0.7 per cent), clothing and footwear (-0.4 per cent) as well as restaurants and hotels (-0.1 per cent) which contributed 44.5 per cent to the overall weight.

“Out of the 552 items covered in the CPI, 340 items showed an increase in January 2021 against January 2020 while 138 items declined and 74 items were unchanged.

“Based on the performance of the 552 items by category of goods and services, nondurable goods (296 items) is a category that experienced the most price increase with 208 items, while (the prices of) 71 items decreased and 17 items were unchanged,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said the food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 1.5 per cent to 136.1 compared to 134.1 previously, contributing to 29.5 per cent of the CPI weight.

Similarly, miscellaneous goods and services inclined by 1.8 per cent, followed by alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.7 per cent), health (0.7 per cent), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.2 per cent) and education (0.2 per cent).

“The CPI without fuel increased 0.5 per cent in January 2021 to 113.6 compared to 112.8 in the same month of the preceding year,” he said.

CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON95, unleaded petrol RON97 and diesel. The average price of RON95 in January 2021 dropped to RM1.87 per litre compared to RM2.08 a year earlier.

In addition, the average price of RON97 fell to RM2.17 per litre from RM2.58 while the average price of diesel eased to RM2.04 per litre from RM2.18 in the corresponding month of the preceding year, he said.

Core index rose 0.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in January 2021, influenced by the increase in indices such as miscellaneous goods and services (1.8 per cent), food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.2 per cent), health (0.7 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.5 per cent), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.2 per cent) and education (0.2 per cent).

The core index excludes most volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices of goods and services.

Although decreasing y-o-y, the CPI increased by 1.2 per cent compared to December 2020, Mohd Uzir said.

“The increase was a ributed by transport (3.7 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.6 per cent), furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.3 per cent) and food and nonalcoholic beverages (0.2 per cent),” he said.

According to DOSM, five states – namely Terengganu (0.3 per cent), Selangor and Putrajaya (0.2 per cent), Kelantan (0.2 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (0.1 per cent) and Pahang (0.1 per cent) – surpassed the national CPI rate of -0.2 per cent in January 2021 compared to January 2020.

All states except Sabah and Labuan registered an increase in the index of food and nonalcoholic beverages, it said.

The highest increase was recorded by Pahang at 2.4 per cent, followed by Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya (2.2 per cent), Terengganu (2.0 per cent), Kelantan (1.8 per cent), Perak (1.6 per cent) and Negeri Sembilan (1.6 per cent), it added.

Out of the 552 items covered in the CPI, 340 items showed an increase in January 2021 against January 2020 while 138 items declined and 74 items were unchanged. Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin