CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
Year 2009
Highlights

The CPI, which stood at 115.5 in December 2008, registered a net increase of 1.7 points (or 1.5%) to reach 117.2 in December 2009.

The main reasons for the net increase in the CPI during the year 2009 were:

- higher prices of food mainly vegetables, sugar, fish, meat and a variety of other food products;
- higher prices of ready-made clothing;
- higher prices of gasolene (being the net effect of price increases in February, April, June, July, September and December 2009, and decreases in January, August, October and November 2009);
- lower prices of milk; and
- lower interest rates on housing loans.

The headline inflation rate was 9.7% for year 2008, 6.9% for financial year 2008/09 and 2.5% for year 2009. This is the lowest inflation rate since 1988.

January 2010