The Consumption Price Index Amplified-15 (IPCA-15) presented 0.79% variance in August, lower than July, a month in which the rate, pressed by fuels, electrical energy, fixed telephone and food, reached 0.93%, the highest rate in the year. From January to August, the index accumulates a rate of 5.12% and 7.09% for the last twelve months. Prices for computation were collected in the period from July 14 to August 12 and compared to the prices prevailing from June 10 to July 13.

Gasoline increasing at gas stations, a reflex of the 10.8% readjustment in distributors on June 15, was concentrated in the month of July, with 5.64%, turning to 0.28% in August. Alcohol, which prices have been increasing in function of sugar cane valuation, was 6.39% more expensive in August. Even high, the variance presented a decrease in relation to 7.11% in July.

Food, with a growth rate decrease in several products, or even a drop, turned from 0.91% in July to 0.58% in August. Pasteurized milk, which had 5.66% price increase in July, presented a much lower increase in August, 1.42%. Meat, 1.03% more expensive in July, was 0.90% lower. Soy oil prices maintained in dropping, –4.05% in July and –2.56% in August. "Carioca" beans (-7.10%), vegetables (-2.57%) and rice (-2.24%) are examples of products which prices also presented a dropping. Under increase, the main highlights were tomato (17.30%), white potato (16.84%), onion (16.47%), and refined and crystal sugar, respectively (9.38%) and (3.45%).

Clothing (from 1.08% to 0.50%) and new cars (from 0.85% to 0.27%), along with gasoline and food, were the main responsible for the IPCA-15 rate reduction from July to August.

On the other hand, electrical energy grew from 0.67% to 3.58%, with a positive impact on the result, 0.17 percentage point. Individually, the highest. The increase was mainly due to the average readjustment of 14% taken to São Paulo bills in July. Fixed telephone, due to the contractual readjustment in July, grew from 1.88% to 3.55% and pressed the result. Another highlight was the urban bus tariffs, which went –0.14% to 1.22%, as a result of the 6.66% readjustment occurred in Rio de Janeiro also in July. Another highlighted item was domestic employee’s salary, which presented reflexes of minimum wage increase when turning from 0.74% to 1.40%.

For the regions, Rio de Janeiro presented the highest result (1.18%) due to the readjustment on urban bus tariffs. The lowest index was presented in Fortaleza (0.31%).

The IPCA-15 index refers to families with earnings from 1 to 40 minimum wages, whatever is the source, and comprises the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador and Curitiba, besides Brasília and Goiânia. The IPCA-15 index is computed under the same IPCA method, with price collection made along the calendar month. The difference between the two indexes is in the price collection period. The table that follows contains the results of regional indexes.