Overview

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The overall index for CPI rose at a higher rate of 3.7 per cent to 119.9 in August 2017 from 115.6 in the corresponding month of the preceding year. Among the major groups which recorded increases were the indices for Transport (+11.7 per cent), Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.3 per cent), Restaurants and Hotels (+2.8 per cent), Health (+2.7 per cent), Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (+2.7 per cent) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+2.4 per cent). (Table 1)

Chart 1: Consumer Price Index: Index Number for Overall and Selected Main Groups

The index of transport group showed a significant increase of 11.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis in August 2017, after rising 7.7 per cent in July 2017. The average price of 1 litre of RON95 petrol was RM2.12 in August 2017 compared to RM1.75 in August 2016. As for RON97, the average price increased to RM2.39 in August 2017 compared to RM2.10 in August 2016. Fuels & lubricants for personal transport equipment accounted for 7.8 per cent of the CPI weights.

The index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages which accounted 30.2 per cent in the CPI weights, increased 4.3 per cent in August 2017. The increase was driven by food sub-group index which comprised of Oils and Fats (+39.2 per cent), Fish & Seafood (+8.1 per cent), Fruits (+3.2 per cent) and Vegetables (+2.9 per cent). As for Food Away From Home index, it continued to rise in August 2017, showing an increase of 4.8 per cent.

Chart 2: Consumer Price Index: Annual Percentage Change for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Among the index of food items which recorded notable increases in August 2017 compared to the same period of last year were Cooking Oil (+48.9 per cent), Indian Mackerel (Fish) (+13.6 per cent), Cuttlefish (+8.2 per cent), Hardtail Scad (Fish) (+7.7 per cent), Spanish Mackerel (Fish) (+6.4 per cent), Prawn (+5.6 per cent), Spinach (+4.8 per cent), Round Cabbage (+4.7 per cent) and Choy Sum (+2.6 per cent). Meanwhile, decreases were registered in the index of some food items such as Hen's Eggs (-5.9 per cent), Carrots (-2.4 per cent) and Onions, Big (-0.5 per cent).

The increase in the index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages was reflected in most states in Malaysia especially those in highly urbanised states such as Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Pulau Pinang, Johor and Melaka.

Chart 3: Consumer Price Index: Annual Percentage Change for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages by State

Six states recorded higher increases for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages index above the national level index for August 2017 compared with the corresponding month in 2016. The index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose 5.0 per cent in Johor, 4.9 per cent in Melaka, 4.8 per cent in Pulau Pinang, 4.8 per cent in Sabah and Labuan, 4.8 per cent in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and 4.5 per cent in Kedah & Perlis.

On a monthly basis, the index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased 0.4 per cent in August 2017, after an increase of 0.2 per cent in July 2017. Meanwhile, the index for Non-Food increased 1.2 per cent in August 2017 compared with the preceding month.

Based on a seasonally adjusted term, the overall CPI for August 2017 increased 0.9 per cent compared to July 2017. (Table 1)

Core inflation rose 2.4 per cent in August 2017 compared with the same month of the previous year. Among the major groups which influenced the higher core rate were price increases of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.3 per cent), Transport (+2.1 per cent), Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+2.9 per cent), Restaurants & Hotels (+2.8 per cent), Health (+2.7 per cent) and Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (+2.7 per cent). (Table 3)

CPI changes for the period January – August 2017/2016

CPI for the period January to August 2017 registered an increase of 3.9 per cent compared with the same period last year. The index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages was the main contributor to the rise in CPI for the period January to August 2017, registered an increase of 4.2 per cent. The increase was contributed by the index for Food Away From Home (+4.6 per cent) and Food At Home (+4.3 per cent). While, the index for Coffee, Tea, Cocoa & Non-Alcoholic Beverages decreased 0.4 per cent. Among the subgroups of  Food At Home which showed significant increases during this period as shown in Table 2 were Oils & Fats (+38.9 per cent), Fish & Seafood (+6.5 per cent), Vegetables  (+4.1 per cent), Meat (+3.3 per cent) and Fruits (+3.2 per cent).

Other major groups which contributed to the rise in CPI during this period were Transport (+13.5 per cent), Recreation Services & Culture (+2.7 per cent), Health (+2.6 per cent), Restaurants & Hotels (+2.4 per cent) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+2.2 per cent).

Core inflation, which excludes most volatile items of fresh food, as well as administered prices of goods and services recorded changes ranging from 2.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent in the period January to August 2017 compared with the same period of the previous year.

Table 1: Consumer Price Index for Main Groups, Malaysia (2010=100)

Table 2: Consumer Price Index for Sub-Groups of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Malaysia (2010=100)

Table 3: Headline CPI and Core Index by Main Groups, Malaysia (2010=100)

Annex1

Average Price for Selected Items in Malaysia, August 2017 (RM)

Released By:

DR. MOHD UZIR MAHIDIN
CHIEF STATISTICIAN MALAYSIA
DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, MALAYSIA
20 September 2017

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