Price index of first-hand domestic sales, 15 June 2006

After the vigorous fall in prices of electricity from April to May of 18.8 per cent, electricity prices rose by 11,1 per cent from May to June. This rise was the main contributer to the rise in the price index of first-hand domestic sales by 0.3 per cent, but also prices of food and crude materials increased - by 0.7 and 0.8 per cent, respectively. For the food, prices of fish had the largest increase, but also meat prices went up. On the other hand, prices of vegetables and fruit decreased from May to June. Within crude materials, prices of metalliferous ores and metal scrap rose by 2.2 per cent. For the other crude materials the prices fell.

Other main industrial groups had a decrease in their prices - manufactured goods and miscellaneous manufactured articles for instance, both fell by 0.6 per cent. The main contributer to the fall in prices of manufactured goods was non-ferrous metals which decreased by 4.8 per cent. This fall in prices of non-ferrous metals followed a continuous growth from September 2005 to May 2006 of 51.7 per cent, in all.

The 12-month rate, June 2005 to June 2006: Up 6.0 per cent

The price index of first-hand domestic sales increased by 6.0 per cent from June 2005 to June 2006. It is still the prices of energy goods, which influences the 12-months period the most. Prices of petroleum products and electricity prices increased by 19.9 and 48.2 per cent, respectively. Also prices of fish and non-ferrous metals rose, here the increases were 16.0 and 45.5 per cent. Prices of telecommunications apparatus, furnitures, paper and paperboard and medicines fell over the last twelve months.