The index was 0.23 percentage points above the January figure (0.40%), having accumulated 1.03% in the year. In the last 12 months, the accumulated index (5.77%) was close to the index accumulated in the immediately previous 12 months (5.79%). In February 2008, IPCA-15 was 0.64%.

The group Education, with hike of 4.95% and participation of 0.34 percentage points, accounted for 54% of the February index. In this group, as a consequence of the readjustments which occurred in the beginning of the year, school fares rose 5.64%, with 0.27 percentage points of contribution. Except for Fortaleza, where threre was no rise due to the difference in the period of readjustment, the changes in other metropolitan areas ranged from 4.67% (Curitiba) to 7.79% (Recife). In the fares of extra courses (languages, computer science, etc) the change was 5.88%.

In the group food products, the rate changed from 0.72% in January to 0.44% in February. Several products decelerated or had their prices reduced. Potatoes (from 11.87% in January to 8.99% in February), carrots (from 17.71% to 7.93%) and fish and related items (from 4.40% to 1.55%) faced rate decrease. Tomatoes (from 5.74% to -6.74%), chicken (from -1.35% to -2.18%) and meats (from 0.66% to -0.89%) became cheaper. Crystallized sugar (from 1.97% to 8.20%), black beans (from -4.51% to 5.52%) and “carioca” beans (from -7.43% to 2.14%) were the highlights in terms of rising rates.

Considering non-food products (0.69%), the rate was above the January result (0.31%), once it reflected, besides the readjustment of school fares, rises in the fares of urban buses in Curitiba (13.41%), Salvador (5.77%), Belo Horizonte (4.54%), Recife (3.07%), Belém (3.03%) and Porto Alegre (2.86%). These figures led to hike of 0.28% in the group Transportation in February, versus -0.01% in the previous month. 

Due mainly to the rises of urban bus fares (4.54%) and domestic workers (2.89%), Belo Horizonte had the highest index by area, 1.13 %. Fortaleza, without readjustment in school fares, was the area with the lowest result (0.04%).  

To calculate IPCA-15, prices collected from January 15 to February 11 were compared to those charged from December 11 and January 14. The indicator refers to families whose monthly income ranges from 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 and Curitiba, besides Brasília and Goiânia. The methodology used is the same as that of IPCA; the difference between the two indexes lies in the period of data collection. IPCA-E is IPCA-15 accumulated in periods.