KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia's Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined 1.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 120.2 in October 2020 from 122.0 in the same month last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the decrease in the overall index was attributed to the decline in transport (-10.2%), housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (-3.0%), and clothing & footwear (-0.4%) which contributed 41.6% to overall weight.
"Out of 552 items covered in CPI, 337 items showed an increase in October 2020 compared with October 2019. On the contrary, 150 items declined while 65 items were unchanged.
"Based on the performance of 552 items by category of goods and services, non-durable goods (296 items) is a category that experienced the most price increment with 208 items, 73 items decreased and 15 items were unchanged compared to services, semi-durable goods and durable goods," he added.
Nevertheless, food & non-alcoholic beverages increased by 1.5% to 135.3 as compared to 133.3 in the corresponding month of 2019.
This group contributes 29.5% of CPI weight. Similarly, miscellaneous goods & services inclined by 2.8 per cent, followed by education (0.7%) and alcoholic beverages & tobacco (0.5%).
Mohd Uzir said the CPI without fuel shows a positive rate of 0.1% in October 2020 compared to October 2019. CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON95, unleaded petrol RON97 and diesel.
"The average price of unleaded petrol RON95 in October 2020 decreased to RM1.67 per litre as compared to RM2.08 in October 2019.
"In addition, the average price of unleaded petrol RON97 decreased to RM1.97 per litre compared to RM2.66, while the average price of diesel declined to RM1.72 per litre from RM2.18 in the corresponding month of the preceding year," he said.
Mohd Uzir said the core index rose 0.8% in October 2020 compared to the same month in 2019.
Among the major groups that influenced the increase were miscellaneous goods & services (2.8%), food & non-alcoholic beverages (1.3%), housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (0.9%), and education (0.7%).
Core index excludes most volatile items of fresh food, as well as administered prices of goods and services, he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said CPI for the period of January to October 2020 decreased 1.0% as compared to the same period in 2019.
"The decrease was attributed by transport (-10.0%), housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (-1.5%) and clothing & footwear (-0.8%).
"Although y-o-y CPI decreased, the CPI on a monthly basis increased by 0.1% compared to September 2020. The increase was attributed by alcoholic beverages & tobacco (0.1%), recreation services & culture (0.1%), and health (0.1%).
The index for all states decreased between -0.8 to -2.3% in October 2020 compared to October 2019. The highest decrease was recorded by Melaka (-2.3%), Sabah and Labuan Federal Territory (-2.3%), and Kedah and Perlis (-2.3%). It was followed by Sarawak (-2.1%), Johor (-2.1%) and Negeri Sembilan (-2.0%).
However, all states registered an increase in the index of food & non-alcoholic beverages. The highest increase was recorded by Selangor and Putrajaya (2.4%), followed by Pahang (1.8%), Terengganu (1.7%), Perak (1.7%), and Negeri Sembilan (1.6%). – Bernama, November 25, 2020
