Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (101.91) for October 2020 fell by 0.75% year-on-year, which was attributed to lower charges for package tours, communication services and electricity, as well as reduced prices of gasoline, clothing and footwear.

Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Communication and Recreation & Culture dropped by 13.46% and 9.27% year-on-year respectively, whereas the indices of Health and Household Furnishings & Services rose by 2.81% and 2.24%. The CPI-A (102.02) and CPI-B (101.75) saw respective decreases of 0.65% and 0.89% year-on-year.

The Composite CPI for October 2020 went down by 0.06% month-to-month. Price indices of Communication and Transport dropped by 2.50% and 0.65% respectively on account of receding charges for communication services and lower airfares. On the other hand, rising wages for domestic helpers drove up the price index of Household Furnishings & Services by 1.16%. Price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages grew by 0.04% owing to higher charges for eating out and dearer prices of vegetables; yet, falling prices of fruits and fresh fish offset part of the increase. The CPI-A and CPI-B decreased by 0.08% and 0.03% month-to-month respectively.

For the 12 months ended October 2020, the average Composite CPI rose by 1.40% from the previous period (November 2018 to October 2019). Price indices of Health (+4.37%), Education (+4.34%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.19%) registered notable growth. The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 1.48% and 1.35% respectively over the previous period.

The average Composite CPI for the first ten months of 2020 increased by 1.15% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B grew by 1.25% and 1.00% 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.