Consumer price index, 15 February 2006

The CPI was 116.6 (1998=100) in February 2006, compared to 113.7 at the same time last year, an equivalent of a 2.6 per cent increase. The year-to-year growth in CPI increased by 0.8 percentage points from January to February. The year-to-year growth in CPI-ATE was 1.0 percent in February; an increase of 0.2 percentage points from January.

CPI up by 0.9 percent from January to February

The CPI increased by 0.9 per cent from January to February, and the situation was characterised by general price increases in most consumer groups. The 9.3 per cent increase in electricity prices from January to February was the most important factor behind the CPI growth.

After the January sales activities, furniture prices increased by 4.2 per cent in February and contributed to the CPI increase. Food prices also followed the same direction, increasing by 0.6 per cent from January to February, with fresh vegetables increasing the most.

An increase was also registered in fees for homecare services since the last survey in February last year.

Energy products pulled CPI up in the last 12 months

The CPI increased by 2.6 per cent from February 2005 to February 2006. The biggest contributor to the price increase came from energy products, where electricity prices increased by 24.4 per cent and petrol prices increased by 12.4 per cent from February last year to February this year.

A number of services also contributed to the year-to-year growth in the CPI. Prices for services connected to recreation and culture increased by 5.0 per cent from February 2005 to February 2006, while health and transport services increased by 8.4 and 3.5 per cent respectively.

In the opposite direction, audiovisual equipment contributed to dampen the growth in the CPI with a price fall of 8.4 per cent from February 2005 to February 2006. In addition, kindergarten fees also pulled down the total price growth.

Increase in the year-to-year growth

The year-to-year growth in CPI increased from 1.8 percent in January to 2.6 per cent in February. The increase can be mainly attributed to the price development of electricity, with a strong increase in February this year compared to a decrease of 6.2 per cent in February last year. Prices of clothing and footwear also contributed to the increase in the year-to-year CPI growth, with a slight price increase in February this year compared to a decrease at the same time last year.

The year-to-year growth in CPI-ATE was 1 per cent in February 2006, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from January. The year-to-year growth in the CPI adjusted for tax changes (CPI-AT) went from 1.5 per cent in January to 2.3 per cent in February.