The Extended National Consumer Price Index -15 (IPCA-15) changed 0.66% in October and stood 0,27 percentage points above the September's rate (0,39%). This was the highest rate for the month of October since 2002 (0,90%). The cumulative index in the year (8,49%) was the highest accumulated from January to October since 2003 (9,17%). In 2014, the cumulative index in the same period was 5,23%. As for the last 12 months (9,77%), the cumulative rate was not only above the previous 12-month period (9,57%) but also the highest since December 2003 (9,86%). In October 2014 the IPCA-15 reached 0.48%. The complete IPCA-15 data can be accessed here.

In October, seven of the nine groups of services and products surveyed showed acceleration in the price change in relation to the previous month, as shown in the following table:

The index of the month was influenced by the three groups that most affect the family budget: Housing, with a high of 1.15%, Transportation (0.80%) and Food and Beverages (0.62%). Together, adding up 0.48 percentage points of impact, they were responsible for 72.73% of the IPCA-15 result of October.

Individually, the highest impact was exerted by the item bottle gas (0.11 p.p.), of the group Housing(1.15%). The price of this item increased by 10.22% in October, after a rise of 5.34% in September, accumulating 16.11% in these two months. This was the reflex, at consumer distribution points, of the 15% price increase in the refineries authorized by Petrobras, in force since September 1st.

In the Transportation (0.80%), the main highlight was gasoline, 1.70% more expensive, reflecting, in the pumps, part of the readjustment of 6% in refineries authorized by Petrobras, in force from September 30. In addiction, ethanol rose 4.83% in the pumps, also contributing to the high of gasoline, since it is part of its composition.

In the group Food and Beverages (0.62%), food consumed at home rose 0.39%, whereas food away from home had a high of 1.06%. Several products rose from one month to the other, among them whole chicken (5.11%), potatoes (4.22%), rice (2.15%), French bread (1.14%), meat (0.97%) and meals/food away from home (1.15%).

The highest index by area occurred in Brasília (1.28%), influenced by the high of 26.67% in the interurban bus, whose fares increased by 33.34%, since September 20. Electricity (4.55%), whose bills got 18.26% more expensive since August 26, also influenced. The lowest index occurred in the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro (0.24%). The following table shows the results by area surveyed.

In order to estimate IPCA-15, the prices collected from September 15 to October 14 (reference) were compared with the ones in force from August 14 to September 14 (base).  The indicator refers to families with monthly income of 1 to 40 minimum wages and it encompasses the Metropolitan Areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador, Curitiba, and also Brasília and Goiânia. The methodology is the same as the one used for IPCA; the difference lies in the period of price collection and in the geographic coverage.