The National Extended Consumer Price Index 15 (IPCA-15) changed by 0.51% in May, superior to the rate of 0.43% in April. As a result, the accumulated indicator in the year stayed at 2.39%, below the rate of the same period a year ago (3.86%). Considering the last 12 months, IPCA-15 was at 5.05%, below the immediately previous 12 months (5.25%). In May 2010, the rate was at 0.70%.

The complete publication of IPCA-15 can be accessed at

https://www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/precos/ipca15/defaultipca15.shtm

The highlights of the month were cigarettes (0.12 percentage points of impact), medicines (0.06 percentage points) and carioca beans (0.04 percentage points) that, together, were responsible for 0.22 percentage points, accounting for 43% of the month’s index.

Leading the main individual impacts, cigarettes presented a change of 14.26% due to price adjustments in force since the beginning of April, but with price drops from May 7 on, starting in São Paulo. The change of 14.26% in cigarettes drove personal expenses to the highest result in the group, reaching 1.32%.

In medicines, the change was of 1.85%, reflecting part of the adjustment in force since March 31 and accumulating, in the year, a rise of 3.09%. They were the principal responsible for the result of 0.93% of the group health and personal care.

The prices of the carioca beans rose 15.30% in the reference period of IPCA-15, closing it with an increase of 66.53% in the year, due to the lowest supply of the product, whose harvest was affected in the producing regions because of climate problems coupled with the reduction of the planted area. Following the rise in beans, it became more expensive to buy especially soy oil (3.72%), cassava flour (3.35%), beer (2.72%), powdered milk (2.27%), cheese (2.02%), rice (1.66%), French rolls (1.20%) and cookies (0.97%). As a result, the group food products and beverages reached 0.62%, even though some items have declined, such as tomato (-2.48%) and fruits (-2.22%). <0 Besides the articles of apparel, with 0.97% in the month, other items also posted an increase. The highlights were: banking services (1.66%), vehicle insurance (1.58%), mobile telephony (1.51%), manpower for small repairs (1.51%), taxi (1.29%) water and sewage fees (1.16%), bottled gas (1.01%) and cleaning articles (0.99%).

Concerning the decreases, the main individual drop impact was exerted by plane fares, with -0.06 percentage points due to the downfall of 10.83% in the taxes.

Thus, while the change in food products increased from 0.31% in April to 0.62% in May, non-food products got very close, with 0.47% in April and 0.48% in May.   The results of all groups of products and services surveyed are shown in the following table:

In order to calculate IPCA-15, prices were collected from April 14 to May 14 and compared to those in force from March 15 to April 13 of 2012. The indicator refers to families with monthly income of one to forty minimum wages and it encompasses the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador, Curitiba, and also Brasília and Goiânia. The methodology is the same as the one used for IPCA; the difference lies in the period of price collection.

Among the regions surveyed, the higher index occurred in Salvador (0.80%), due to the water and sewage fee (5.77%) that suffered an average adjustment of 12.89% started on May 1^st and electrical energy (3.96%) that was adjusted at 6.15% from April 22 on. The lowest result occurred in Rio de Janeiro (0.16%) where the item domestic worker registered a drop of 1.05%, as well as food products, which also presented a falling result (-0.02%). The table with results by region is shown below: