Abu Dhabi Inflation at 1.0 per cent Y-o-Y over first eight months of 2013

Abu Dhabi: Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi issued yesterday its monthly report on the consumer price index (CPI) and the inflation rate in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for the month of August and the first eight months of 2013, detailed by the major expenditure groups. As the report finds, consumer inflation was 1.0 per cent during the first eight months of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012, as shown by the increase in the consumer price index (CPI) to 123.8 points during the first eight months of 2013, up from 122.6 points for the same period of 2012, reflecting the combined outcome of the upward and downward changes in the prices of the consumer basket items between the two periods compared. Consumer prices in the first eight months of 2013 The "Transport" group accounted for 29.3 per cent of the overall increase in prices during the first eight months of 2013, due to a rise of 3.0 per cent in the average prices of this group. The next largest contributor to the overall increase in the CPI during the first eight months of 2013 was the "Restaurants and hotels" group, which advanced 5.7 per cent, accounting for 23.8 per cent of the overall y-o-y increase observed during the period under review. The prices of "Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance" grew by 3.0 per cent during first eight months of 2013 compared with the same period of 2012; contributing 15.0 per cent of the net y-o-y increase in all expenditure groups during the aforesaid period. The "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" group contributed 15.5 per cent of the net increase in consumer prices during first eight months 2013 compared with the same period of 2012. The surge in this group resulted from increases in the prices of most of its subgroups, including the "Vegetables", which advanced by 5.6 per cent, "Fruit" by 5.2 per cent, "Coffee, tea and cocoa" by 5.1 per cent, "Food products not elsewhere classified" by 4.6 per cent and "Oil and fats" by 1.7 per cent. The "Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels" group was among the main groups that slowed down the rise in consumer prices during the first eight months of 2013 compared with the same period of 2012. The group detracted 21.6 per cent from the overall growth in the CPI over the aforesaid period as the group's prices declined by 0.6 per cent. Consumer prices in August 2013/2012 As SCAD's report reveals, consumer prices advanced 1.4 per cent on average in August 2013 compared with the August 2012, with the CPI at 125.0 points in August 2013, up from 123.3 points in August 2012. This increase reflects the net outcome of the increases and decreases in consumer prices between the two months under comparison. The largest increases in August 2013 compared with August 2012 were observed in the "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco" (up 8.5 per cent), "Transport" (up 3.3 per cent), "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" (up 3.0 per cent) followed by "Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance" (up 2.9 per cent). Over the same period, however, the "Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels" group edged down by 0.1 per cent. – Emirates News Agency, WAM