This IPCA-15 is the lowest index of the year, mainly due to food and fuels.

The Extended National Consumer Price Index-15 (IPCA-15) changed 0.21% in April, it was the smallest rate registered in 2004. In January, the index was 0.68%; in February, 0.90%; and 0.40% in March. The main reason for this rate reduction was food and fuel deflation and deceleration of other items, such as, landline telephones and cigarette. The cumulative index in the year was 2.21%, and the cumulative index in 12 months, 5.33%.

The negative change of food (-0.17%) was mainly due to increased supply from the marketing of the new crop. Most prices were smaller than the ones charged in March, when the 0.26% rate already showed a decrease in comparison with January (0.62%) and February (0.65%). The main drops were registered, in April, on tomatoes (-13.98%), refined sugar (-5.63%), fruits (-2.79%), rice (-2.35%) and carioca beans (-2.35%).

As a result of a good harvest, alcohol fuel, with -12.11%, intensified the downward trend (-8.46% in March), reflecting on gasoline, which had a price decrease of 2.07% (-0.42% in March).

Cigarettes that had increased 4.95% in March, reached 1.54% in April, while the rates of landline telephones had a change of 1.60% in March, but remained stable in April.

From the food group with significant increasing, soybeans (3,91%), coffee (2.55%) and pasteurized milk (2.44%) are highlighted. On other products, the major outcome was on bottled gas (2.47%), water and sewage fees (2.06%), and medicine (1.04%).

Among the areas, the biggest result was in Porto Alegre (0.76%) due to urban bus fares increase (6.16%). The smallest was registered in Curitiba (-0.17%) and Rio de Janeiro (-0.08%), both with negative rates.

IPCA-15 refers to families with monthly income between one and 40 minimum wages, of any source and comprehends metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador and Curitiba besides Brasília and Goiânia. IPCA-15 is measured following the same methodology used for IPCA, which has the prices collected throughout the month. The difference between the indexes lies on the period of price collection. The prices were collected from March 13th until April 12th and confronted with prices from February 11th until March 12th.

 The following table presents the results by area.