The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) changed by 0.25% in April and was below the March rate (0.37%). Considering the result accumulated in the year, the IPCA was 1.51%, that is, lower than the index in the same period of 2006 (1.65%). In the last 12 months, the accumulated rate was 3.00%, a little above the rate of the immediately previous twelve months. In April 2006, the index was 0.21%.  

The deceleration of IPCA by 0.12 percentage points from March to April occurred basically due to food products (0.03%), whose prices were stable throughout April, differently from March, when they rose 0.98%.

The rise rates of only a few food products became more significant from March to April. Potatoes, for instance, changed from 7.61% to 36.41%; it was the major individual contribution to the index of the month: 0.05 percentage points. Another example was milk: it changed from 1.02% to 4.15%. Some products, such as cassava flower (from 4.96% to 3.63%), had lower rise, although they have become more expensive.  

With the stability of the group food products and beverages, April’s IPCA was affected by the price changes of non-food products: change of 0.31 and contribution of 0.25 percentage points.

Consumers have paid a higher price for the liter of fuel alcohol, whose price rose by 7.34% in April, whereas in March it had fallen by 0.65%. Prices rose in all the areas surveyed, but in São Paulo and Goiânia, the changes reached 10.31% and 13.27%, respectively. The liter of gasoline also rose, but less than in March: from 0.72% to 0.66%.   

Water and sewage fares rose in several states: Fortaleza (8.79%), where the average readjustment was 10.50%, and went into effect on March 31^st; Salvador (4.48%), with rise of 4.77% on April 1^st; and Porto Alegre (1.80%), whose average rise of 4.50%, applied to the fares of one of the water treatment companies went into effect on March 30^th. Even with these readjustments, the item water and sewage fares fell from 1.24% to 0.72% from March to April.

Apparel prices also decelerated from one month to the other: from 0.47% to 0.33%.

Among the items whose prices rose in April, the highlights were cleaning articles (0.59%), cooking gas (0.23%), used cars (1.06%), medicines (0.50%) and cigarettes (0.71%).

The rise of medicines (0.50%) reflected part of the readjustment permitted by ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) on March 31^st. The rise of cigarettes (0.71%) was a consequence of the average readjustment of 8.00% of the products of one company of this subsector, which went into effect on April 23^rd.   

Among the indexes by area, the best result was obtained in the metropolitan area of Belém (0.67%), where food products rose by 1.21%. The lowest index was that of Rio de Janeiro (-0.16%).

The IPCA has been calculated by IBGE since 1980 and it refers to families with monetary income, from any source, ranging from 1 to 40 minimum salaries.  It encompasses nine metropolitan areas of the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia and Brasília. For the calculation of the index of the month, prices collected from March 30^th to April 27^th (reference) were compared to those charged from March 01^st to March 29^th (base).

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) changed by 0.26% in April, below the March result (0.44%). The index accumulated in the year was 1.62%, that is, higher than last year (1.00%). In the last twelve months, the rate (3.44%) was above the result relative to the immediately previous twelve months (3.30%). In April 2006, the index was 0.12%.  

Considering April’s INPC, food products changed by 0.09%, whereas non-food products, by 0.32%. The highest index by area was that of Belém (0.81%). The lowest result was that of Rio de Janeiro (-0.25%).

The INPC has been calculated by IBGE since 1979; it refers to families headed by a salaried worker and with monetary income ranging from 01 to 06 minimum salaries. It encompasses nine metropolitan areas of the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia and Brasília.  To calculate the index of the month, prices collected in the period March 30^th to April 27^th  (reference) were compared to those charged from March 01^st to March 29^th (base).