CABA: inflation was 21.7% in January

Inflation in the City of Buenos Aires was 21.7% in January and accumulates a year-on-year variation of 238.5%, the General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of the Federal Capital reported today. This is six tenths more than in December. The figure is in line with the national government’s forecast, which estimates a figure of around 20% for January after 25.5% in December. The food and non-alcoholic beverages category – the one with the highest weighting within the index – had an increase of 25.4% last month, in a list in which four sectors showed monthly growth of more than 30%. These items are personal care, social protection and other products (35.7%), transport (33.7%), recreation and culture (30.5%) and health (30.3%). The National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) will release the CPI for January on Wednesday, February 14. Goods closed January with an increase of 24.2%, while services had an increase of 19.6%. On the other hand, seasonal prices showed an increase of 34.5%, regulated prices showed a rise of 22.3% and what the DGEyC classifies as “rest” (comparable to core inflation), had an increase of 19.7%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 25.4%, contributing 5.12 percentage points to the overall level, with the main impulses in bread and cereals (27.9%), milk, dairy products and eggs (28.1%) and meat and derivatives (17.2%). Transportation averaged an increase of 33.7%, with an incidence of 3.31 points, mainly impacted by increases in the prices of fuels and lubricants for vehicles for household use and air tickets. Restaurants and hotels rose 24.1% and had an impact of 2.81 points, due to the increases in the prices of food prepared in restaurants, bars and eating houses, in addition to the increases in the rates of the hotel accommodation service for tourist reasons. Health registered an increase of 30.3%, with an incidence of 2.33 points, due to adjustments in the premiums of prepaid medicine and, to a lesser extent, increases in the prices of medicines. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased 10% and had an impact of 1.73 points, due to increases in the values of rents and common housing expenses. Recreation and culture averaged an increase of 30.5%, with an incidence of 1.73 points, due to the increases in the prices of tourist packages.

Original source in Spanish