Cheaper clothes and gas in August

The consumer price index declined 0.3 per cent from 15 July to 15 August 1998. Lower prices for clothes, gas, fruit and vegetables were the main contributors, while the increase in dental care and day-care fees were offsetting factors.

Traditional summer sales of clothing continued from July to August. During this period the price of clothes fell an average of 2.8 per cent after declining 2.7 per cent from June to July. Most of the price cutting was for typical summerwear. A certain amount of price cutting on shoes was also seen from July to August.

Food prices declined an average of 0.8 per cent from July to August. The biggest contribution came from the fruit and vegetable group, which saw prices drop by around three per cent from July. Imported fruit such as citrus fruits and bananas dropped the most. Prices of Norwegian vegetables such as cabbage, carrots and potatoes also nose-dived due to abundant supplies.

Gas prices dropped dramatically from July to August after rising the previous month. The decline from July to August was around three per cent. Lower prices were seen throughout the country, the decline was the most pronounced in Eastern Norway.

Harmonized consumer price index

The Norwegian harmonized consumer price index compiled for international comparisons of price trends rose 2.0 per cent from August last year to August this year, after falling 0.5 per cent from July to August.

New Statistics
Consumer price index, 15 August 1998.
The statistics are published every month in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics . For more information, contact: frode.bendiksen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 44 27, randi.johannessen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 30, or lasse.sandberg@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 16.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 38, 1998