IPCA-15
Inflation preview: fuels push 2018 figure below expected target
December 21, 2018 09h00 AM | Last Updated: December 21, 2018 11h51 AM
The inflation target (IPCA-15), released today by the IBGE, changed by -0.16% in December, versus 0.19% in November. That was the lowest monthly result since July 2017 and the lowest rate for a month of December sincr the start of Plano Real, in. The cumulative rate in the year stayed at 3.86%, below the annual target set by the Brazilian Central Bank (4.50%) and of the 4.39% registered in 2017.
Transportation recorded the biggest decrease (-0.93%), mainly due to the fall of gasoline prices (-5.47%). Among the areas surveyd, Salvador presented the major decrease in this item, -8.90%. Besides gasoline, ethanol had a decrease of -3.00%, and diesel, -1.93%. In the group Housing, the decrease of -0.52% was mainly due to the change from the Yellow to the Green Tariff Flag in electricity bills.
Food and beverages, which accounts for the major contribution to the index, kept it high results, but faced deceleration from 0.53% November) to 0.35% (December). Food at home was a major element in this change, with a decrease from 0.85% to 0.22%, in the same period.
Belém alone had a hike in December
Among the areas surveyed, the metropolitan area of Belém only had an increase of 0.27%, pushed by airfares (31.12%), tomato (27.06%) and assai (12.86%). The biggest decrease (-0.30%) was registered in Brasília, due to the fall of gas prices (-8.75%) and of personal hygiene items (-5.08%).
