HK November consumer prices up 0.2 pct

Hong Kong's Composite Consumer prices Index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent in November, the same as that in October, the Census and Statistics Department said Thursday, suggesting overall consumer price inflation is still modest.

The CPI(A) and CPI(B) rose 0.6 percent and 0.2 percent respectively in November, larger than the corresponding increases of 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent in October. However, the CPI(C) fell 0.2 percent in November, after a dip of 0.1 percent in October, the department said.

For the quarter that ended in November, the average monthly rates of increase in the seasonally adjusted Composite CPI, CPI(A),CPI(B) and CPI(C) were all 0.1 percent, as against virtually nil change for the quarter that ended in October.

Price increases were recorded for electricity, gas and water, food, clothing and footwear, miscellaneous goods, miscellaneous services, transport, and meals.

On the other hand, price declines were recorded for housing, durable goods, and alcoholic drinks and tobacco.

Taking the first 11 months of this year together, the Composite CPI dropped 0.5 percent from a year earlier. The Composite CPI rose 0.4 percent for the quarter and dipped 0.6 percent for the 12months that ended in November.

Source: Xinhua