Index remains in 0.28 percentage point below the index of December and 0.18 percentage point below the index of January 2004. Accumulated index of the last twelve months (7.41%) is also lower than the one of the twelve previous months (7.60%).

In January, the Extended Consumer Price Index - IPCA changed 0.58%, a rate 0.28 percentage point below than the rate of December (0.86%). With the result of January (0.58%), the accumulated rate of the last twelve months was 7.41%, below the rate of the twelve previous months (7.60%). In January 2004, the rate of the IPCA was 0.76%.

The prices of food products raised 0.78%, more than December, when the hike was 0.65%. Carrots (17.87%), potatoes (11.00%), onions (5.70%) and fruits (2.75%), products that are sensible to the climate, stood out with considerable increases.

Even with the hike of food products, the IPCA recoiled in relation to December, because important items changed less in January, especially gasoline: while the IPCA of December absorbed a hike of 5.06% in this item, the one of January received an almost insignificant change (0.06%). The item urban bus fares that pressured December with a hike of 1.60% had a small fall in January (-0.10%), since Curitiba began to provide cheaper tariffs during Sundays and Belém retreated from a readjustment.

Besides gasoline and urban buses, the prices of other items increased less from December to January: sales promotion made the item apparel decrease from 1.59% to 0.23%, while water and sewerage also decelerated from 1.79% to 0.41%. Regarding the item cigarettes, it passed from 1.39% to 0.54%.

The IPCA is calculated by the IBGE since 1980. It refers to families whose monetary income, from any source, ranges from 01 to 40 minimum wages. It includes nine metropolitan areas of the Country, besides the municipality of Goiânia and Brasília. To calculate the index of January, prices collected between December 28 and January 27 (reference period) were compared to prices charged between November 26 and December 27 (base period).

Indexes by areas

The highest index by area was the one of Fortaleza (1.01%), mainly due to the hike in the prices of food products (1.65%) and in the prices of water and sewerage (17.71%). The lowest index was recorded in Brasília (0.28%), where the item transports presented fall of 0.89%.

INPC of January was 0.57%

In January, the National Consumer Price Index - INPC changed 0.57%, remaining 0.29 percentage point below the index of December (0,86%). The accumulated index of the last twelve months (5.86%) remained below the result of the twelve previous months (6.13%). In January 2004, the index of the INPC was 0.83%.

The prices of Food Products raised 0.75%, above the result of December (0.68%). The items Non-food products changed 0.49%, a result lower than the one recorded in December (0.94%).

The INPC is calculated by the IBGE since 1979 and it refers to families, headed by a salaried worker, with monetary income ranging from 01 to 08 minimum wages. It includes nine metropolitan areas of the Country besides the municipality of Goiânia and Brasília. To calculate the index of January, prices collected from December 28 to January 27 (reference period) were compared to prices charged from November 26 to December 27 (base period).

The highest index by areas was recorded in Fortaleza (1.22%) and the lowest index in Curitiba (0.35%).