Consumer price index in August

News
Posted on 7 September 2010, 11:00
According to Statistics Estonia, the consumer price index increased 2.9% in August 2010 compared to August of the previous year and 0.0% compared to July this year.

Goods were 3.0% and services 2.8% more expensive compared to August of the previous year. Food products were 4.2% and manufactured goods 1.7% more expensive.

Regulated prices of goods and services have risen by 6.9% and non-regulated prices by 1.7% compared to August of the previous year.

Compared to August of the previous year, the index was mainly influenced by the 3.9% price increase of food and non-alcoholic beverages and by the 9.7% price increase of electricity, heat energy and fuels as a whole, both of which gave about a third of the total change; and by the 9% price increase of motor fuel. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the prices of fresh vegetables, heating oil and milk have increased the most (40%, 26% and 23.3%, respectively). But the prices of flour and white bread decreased (15.9% and 12.3%, respectively).

In August compared to July, the consumer price index was mainly influenced by the seasonal price decrease of fresh vegetables, by the increase in the expenditures on housing, step by step ending of the sales of clothing and footwear and by the price increase of tobacco products. Compared to the previous month, price of lemons increased the most (66.8%) and prices of paprika and tomatoes decreased the most (29% and 26.3%, respectively).

Change of the consumer price index by commodity groups, August 2010
Commodity group August 2009 –
August 2010, %
July 2010 –
August 2010, %
TOTAL 2.9 0.0
Food and non-alcoholic beverages 3.9 -1.0
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco 5.1 0.7
Clothing and footwear 1.2 0.2
Housing 4.8 0.7
Household goods -2.3 0.4
Health 0.8 0.2
Transport 3.1 0.0
Communications 7.2 0.0
Recreation and culture -0.1 0.1
Education 1.5 0.1
Hotels, cafés and restaurants -0.7 -0.5
Miscellaneous goods and services 0.1 0.8