Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (103.30) for March 2020 increased by 2.47% year-on-year, up by 0.14 percentage points from the growth in February (+2.33%). The increment was attributable to higher prices of fresh pork and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, dearer charges for eating out and rising rentals for dwellings.

Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Education surged by 5.43% and 5.14% respectively year-on-year, whereas the indices of Communication and Clothing & Footwear fell by 8.89% and 4.43%. The CPI-A (103.42) and CPI-B (103.13) saw respective increases of 2.57% and 2.42% year-on-year.

The Composite CPI for March 2020 decreased by 0.26% month-to-month. Seasonal sales of adults’ clothing and lower gasoline prices pushed down the price indices of Clothing & Footwear and Transport by 1.64% and 1.10% respectively. In addition, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages fell by 0.33% owing to receding prices of vegetables, fruits, fresh fish and seafood; yet, dearer charges for eating out offset part of the decrease. The CPI-A and CPI-B dropped by 0.25% and 0.27% respectively month-to-month.

For the 12 months ended March 2020, the average Composite CPI increased by 2.68% from the previous period, with notable growth in the price indices of Education (+5.46%), Transport (+4.56%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.50%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 2.64% and 3.18% respectively over the previous period.

The average Composite CPI for the first quarter of 2020 (103.46) grew by 2.59% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 2.66% and 2.54% 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 MOP12,000 to MOP35,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP36,000 to MOP62,999.