Consumer price index, 15 September 2002

The CPI stood at 110.2 (1998=100) in September this year in comparison with 108.7 in September last year. The CPI adjusted for tax changes and excluding energy products (CPI-ATE) was 2.2 per cent in September, down from 2.3 per cent in August.

The consumer prices up 0.5 per cent from August to September

The tariffs on electricity rose considerably, by 5.6 per cent. Services for the maintenance and repair of dwelling went up 0.9 per cent.

Followed by summer sales in July and August the prices of clothing and footwear rose by 3.2 per cent in September. The prices of clothing went up 3.9 per cent, while the prices of footwear only increased marginally. The prices of furniture also increased in September after some sales activity in August.

The prices of petrol went up 1.8 per cent in September, a further increase from August when the petrol prices rose by 1.4 per cent.

Educational expenditures rose by 4.7 per cent since last survey in January. The prices of cinema and theatre tickets have increased only slightly since last survey, which took place in January as well.

The prices of food went up by 0.3 per cent, mainly due to a price increase of fruits. Various types of vegetables on the other hand, were registered with a price decrease. The prices of non-alcoholic beverages declined by 0.5 per cent due to lower prices of cocoa and coffee. The prices of alcoholic beverages went down as well, but only marginally.

Year-to-year change: CPI up 1.4 per cent

Rentals are the main contributing factor to the CPI growth from September 2001 to September 2002. Costs for owner-occupied housing and rentals for housing have increased by 4.9 and 4.5 per cent respectively during the last 12 months. The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages have contributed to the overall growth in the consumer prices as well, with an increase of 3.6 per cent.

The prices of accommodation and restaurant services, services connected to health care, maintenance and repair of dwelling and insurance expenses have increased more during the last 12 months than the average price growth.

The prices of clothing and footwear have contributed to moderate the increase in the consumer prices from September last year to September this year. Despite a price increase from August to September the prices are lower compared with the same period last year. The prices of clothing and footwear have dropped by 8.7 and 3.9 per cent respectively.

Even tough the tariffs on electricity went up from August to September, the tariffs have fallen by 8.8 per cent on a year-to-year bases. The prices of petrol on the other hand, decreased slightly the last 12 months. The CPI excluding energy products (CPI-AE) has increased by 1.9 per cent, compared with 2.1 per cent in August.

The price decrease of audiovisual equipment, airline fares and alcoholic beverages have also contributed to dampen the price increase.

The CPI adjusted for tax changes (CPI-AT) was 1.8 per cent in September. Lower taxes reduced the consumer price growth by 0.4 percentage points. CPI-ATE was 2.2 per cent.

New weights in the CPI

Due to new information it has been necessary to adjust the expenditure shares (the weights) published last month. No published indices are however affected by this adjustment. See Weights .