Brunei CPI rises 0.5%

Brunei Consumer Price Index (CPI) in September increased by 0.5 per cent over the previous month, the Department of Economic Planning and Development said.

The increase in the CPI for September was due to higher prices of shoes and footwear, as well as garments, clothing materials, furniture and furnishings, household textiles and household utensils, the department said yesterday.

"A decrease was recorded in Recreation and Culture due to lower prices of passenger transport by air compared to August 2012," the statement read.

Meanwhile, the CPI in September 2012 increased 0.4 per cent over the same period last year.

The department attributed the year-on-year increase to the higher index for food and non-alcoholic beverages; recreation and culture; and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.

The CPI is a measure of price changes of goods and services paid by the consumer in a specified period. The list of goods and services in the CPI is based on the average expenditure per household from the Household Expenditure Survey.

A full breakdown of the CPI for September 2012 is available on official website www.depd.gov.bn.