The National Extended Consumer Price Index - 15 (IPCA-15) changed by 0.18%, in June, quite below the rate of 0.51% of May. As result, the change of the IPCA-E (accumulated of IPCA 15) in the second quarter stayed at 1.12%, below the same quarter of 2011 (1.71%), closing the first semester of 2012 with 2.58%, below the result of the same period a year ago (4.10%). Considering the last 12 months, the index was at 5.00%, also below the immediately previous 12 months (5.05%). In June 2011, the rate was at 0.23%. The complete publication of IPCA-15 can be accessed at

www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/precos/inpc_ipca/defaultinpc.shtm.

This time, just the group food products, with 0.66%, surpassed, but modestly, the result obtained in the previous month, which presented a gain of 0.62%. The period of low supplies attributable mainly to harsh climatic conditions impacted the prices. It became even more expensive now to buy tomatoes (19.48%), onions (16.22%), potatoes (6.70%), leafy vegetables (3.29%), soybean oil (3.20%) and rice (2.02%), among others.

Except for education - which, in general, presents a reasonable stability after the seasonal adjustment - in the other groups, there were records of results quite below the ones seen in May, leaving the non-food products at 0.04%, relevantly below the rate of 0.48% of the previous month. The results by group of products and services surveyed are as it follows:

Transportation (from -0.25% to -0.77%) was the group that most significantly contributed to the sharp reduction of the index from one month to the other. With the zero IPI starting on May 21, the prices of the new automobiles fell by 3,50%, with a - 0,12 percentage point impact, the lowest in the month, influencing the used automobiles’ sales, whose prices became 2,62% cheaper, with an impact of -0,04 percentage point. Together, new and used caused an impact of -0.16 percentage points in the index of the month.

Still concerning Transportation, the negative highlight is the ethanol, with -1.51%, due to the low prices of the sugarcane. Following the price behavior of the ethanol, the gasoline also presented a drop, with -0.37%.

Among other falling items, furniture (-0.65%), landline telephone (-0.54%), cooking gas (-0.42%) and cigarette (-0.72%) are highlights.

From the perspective of the highs, the main impacts, each one with 0.03 percentage points, were tomatoes (19,48%), residential rent (0,68%), meals at restaurants (0,57%) and water and sewage fees (2,26%).  

As to the regional indexes, just the metropolitan region of Belém (0.47%) did not post a reduction between May and June. The region of Porto Alegre (-0.12%) even recorded a negative result, under the influence of new (-5.77%) and used automobiles (-6.26%). The biggest index was at Salvador (0.53%) - even though inferior to May’s index (0.80%) - due to several factors, among which: the adjustment of 12.89% on May the first, in the water and sewage fees (6.64%) and of 6.15% in electricity (1.85%), starting on April 22; as well as a rise of 12% in the prices of the urban bus tickets (4,00%), on June 4, and of 8% in the prices of the inter-municipal bus (1.90%), on June 12.  

In order to estimate IPCA-15, the prices collected from May 15 to June 13 of 2012 (reference) were compared with the ones in force from April 14 to May 14 of 2012 (base).  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.