Briefing notes

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Highlights:

  1. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in the 12 months to December, following the 2.0% increase posted in November. On a non-seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices remained unchanged after increasing 0.1% in November.

All-items Consumer Price Index (CPI):

  1. Between December 2009 and December 2010, gasoline prices increased 13.0%, after increasing 7.2% in the 12 months to November.
  2. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 1.8% in December, identical to the increase recorded in November.
  3. In addition to paying more for gasoline, consumers paid 6.2% more for electricity and 9.2% more for natural gas in December.
  4. Overall, energy prices rose 10.5% during the 12 months to December.
  5. Prices increased in seven of the eight major components of the CPI in the 12 months to December. The only exception was clothing and footwear.

Main contributors to the 12-month change in the CPI:

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+13.0%)
  2. Electricity (+6.2%)
  3. Passenger vehicle insurance premiums (+4.3%)
  4. Homeowners' replacement cost (+4.3%)
  5. Food purchased from restaurants (+2.4%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Mortgage interest cost (-2.5%)
  2. Women's clothing (-5.3%)
  3. Computer equipment and supplies (-11.5%)
  4. Fresh vegetables (-4.0%)
  5. Children's clothing (-6.7%)

Main contributors to the monthly change in the CPI, non-seasonally adjusted:

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+2.3%)
  2. Fresh vegetables (+6.1%)
  3. Meat (+1.0%)
  4. Electricity (+0.8%)
  5. Fuel oil and other fuels (+4.4%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Women's clothing (-5.0%)
  2. Men's clothing (-3.9%)
  3. Footwear (-3.1%)
  4. Non-alcoholic beverages (-3.3%)
  5. Air transportation (-2.7%)
Twelve month and monthly percentage change in the most quoted indexes, not seasonally adjusted