Briefing notes

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Highlights:

  1. Consumer prices rose 3.3% in the 12 months to April, matching the increase posted in March. On a non-seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.3%, after increasing 1.1% in March.

All-items Consumer Price Index (CPI):

  1. Energy prices advanced 17.1% during the 12 months to April, following a 12.8% increase in March. Gasoline prices increased 26.4%, bringing prices at the pump to a level 5.0% below the record high of July 2008. This increase followed an 18.9% rise in the 12 months to March. Excluding energy, the CPI rose 2.0% in the 12 months to April, following a 2.4% rise in March. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 2.2% in the 12 months to April.
  2. Prices for food purchased from stores rose 3.7% in the 12 months to April, matching the increase in March. Several food items, in particular meat and bakery products, posted faster year-over-year increases in April than they did in March. Prices for fresh vegetables also rose in April, but at a much slower pace than the month before.
  3. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.3% from March to April, after increasing 0.8% the month before. The transportation index, which includes gasoline, advanced 1.0% in April, following a 0.7% increase in March. The shelter index rose 0.5% in April, after increasing 0.1% in March. The food index was down 0.2% after having increased 1.6% in March.

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

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+26.4%)
  2. Electricity (+7.0%)
  3. Food purchased from restaurants (+2.8%)
  4. Passenger vehicle insurance premiums (+4.4%)
  5. Fuel oil and other fuels (+32.4%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Mortgage interest cost (-2.1%)
  2. Women's clothing (-3.6%)
  3. Furniture (-3.6%)
  4. Natural gas (-4.8%)
  5. Computer equipment and supplies (-12.0%)

Main contributors to the monthly change in the CPI, not seasonally adjusted:

Main upward contributors:

  1. Gasoline (+6.4%)
  2. Electricity (+3.4%)
  3. Natural gas (+3.4%)
  4. Bakery products (+2.0%)
  5. Cablevision and satellite services (+1.6%)

Main downward contributors:

  1. Fresh vegetables (-7.7%)
  2. Furniture (-4.3%)
  3. Women's clothing (-3.6%)
  4. Non-alcoholic beverages (-2.6%)
  5. Dairy products (-1.0%)
Twelve month and monthly percentage change in the most quoted indexes, not seasonally adjusted