Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (115.80) for June 2019 increased by 2.62% year-on-year, down further by 0.07 percentage points from the growth in May (+2.69%). The increment in June was attributable to dearer charges for eating out, rising rentals for dwellings, as well as higher prices of motor cars, gasoline, fruits and fresh pork.

Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Education and Transport grew notably by 5.90% and 4.76% respectively year-on-year, whereas the index of Clothing & Footwear decreased markedly by 1.40%. The CPI-A (115.83) and CPI-B (115.51) saw respective increases of 2.55% and 3.23% year-on-year.

The Composite CPI for June 2019 rose by 0.29% month-to-month. Price indices of Clothing & Footwear and Miscellaneous Goods & Services increased by 0.80% and 0.48% respectively on account of new arrival of summer clothing and rising prices of gold jewellery. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages went up by 0.43% owing to higher prices of fresh pork and dearer charges for eating out; yet, lower prices of vegetables tapered off part of the increase. On the other hand, receding prices of alcoholic beverages pushed down the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco noticeably by 0.44%. The CPI-A and CPI-B grew by 0.29% and 0.35% respectively month-to-month.

For the 12 months ended June 2019, the average Composite CPI rose by 3.03% from the previous period, with notable growth in the price indices of Education (+5.62%) and Transport (+5.43%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B grew by 3.02% and 3.05% respectively over the previous period.

The average Composite CPI for the second quarter of 2019 (115.46) increased by 2.69% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 2.64% and 3.15% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first half of 2019 grew by 2.79% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 2.75% and 3.16% respectively.

The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households in Macao. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.