1. Consumer Price Index
National Consumer Price Index (1) (CPI) in October 2006 was higher than in October 2005 by 7.0 percent points. The annual increase in the national food index - which constitutes 61.3% weight in the overall CPI - was 4.5. The non-food index, whose share is 38.7% in the CPI, showed an increase of 10.9 percent points in the said period. Only a nominal increase of 1.4 percent point in the exchange-rate index was observed in the period, which means that the rate did not influence the real values of the food and non-food indexes for the period substantially. (Table 1 and Annex I)
From September to October 2006, the overall CPI increased by 2.7 percent points. This was as a result of 1.2 percent point increase in the food index and 4.9 percent point increase in the case of non-food. The exchange-rate decreased slightly (by 0.6 percent point) in the period. (Table 1 and Annex I)
Among the food items, the annual increase in the index was the highest in the case of "Sugar and sweets" (22.4 percent points up). This is not a good sign as far as healthy food consumption is concerned. Annual increases in the indexes of some of other food items - in order of the size in their increases - were as follows: "Vegetables including tubers" (+20.7 percent points); "Milk cheese and egg" (+7.6); "Meat" (+6.5); "Non-alcoholic beverages" (+6.1); "Cigarettes and tobacco" (+5.8); "Fresh and dry fruits" (+3.8); "Oil and fats" (+2.2); "Spices" (+2.0) and "Bread and cereals" (-0.2). (Table 1)
Note:
(1) Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an index of the prices of consumer goods and services purchased by the consumers. It is generally used to measure the rate of inflation or the cost of living.