Changes in CPI recital

THE third quarter of the consumer price index has marked slight changes in the overall performance of goods and services.
With a steady to almost no change in the prices of goods and services in the CPI basket from July to September, the percentage change marked was slightly lower than that of last quarter, standing at 1.3% in all groups.
Acting deputy national statistician and head of the economics division Henao Kari explained that this change meant whatever price changes within these months were not significant enough to increase further the changes in the index.
As such, the June quarter recorded 1.6%, while March recorded 1.4%.
Kari said these percentage changes were the steadiness of the price of goods and services in the basket that had not changed since June.
He said, however, these past months have seen noticeable changes in prices of some goods and services but were not recorded in this quarter as they were for the December quarter. 
Overall performance for this quarter stands at 5.6% when comparing this year and last year’s third quarters.
The quarterly changes in the CPI in all urban centres are: Port Moresby – 1.0%, Goroka – 1.4%, Lae – 2.2%, Madang – 0.7% and Rabaul – 0.6%.
The goods and services in the basket covers a range of items arranged in seven groups: food, drink, tobacco and betelnut, clothing and footwear, rent, council charges, fuel and power, household equipment and operations, transport and communication and miscellaneous.