The Extended National Consumer Price Index-15 (IPCA-15) changed 0.58% in May and stood  0.20 percentage points below the index of April (0.78%). As a result, the cumulative index of the year moved to 3.51%, above the 3.06% result relative to the same period of 2013. In the cumulative index over the last 12 months, IPCA-15 stood at 6.31%, above the 6.19% index of the preceding 12 months.
In May 2013, the rate was at 0.46%.
The complete IPCA-15 data can be accessed at www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/precos/ipca15/defaultipca15.shtm.

The highlight in May is electricity, whose high of 3.76% in the fees caused an impact of 0.10 percentage points, the highest impact of all. The appropriate change in the Metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte was at 13.67% due to the increase of 14.24% in force since April 08; in Fortaleza the result of electricity was 10.26%, attributable to the increase of 16.55% which came into force on April 22; Salvador registered 10.25% with an increase of 14.69%, also on April 22; Recife changed 8.08% with an increase of 17.69% occurred on April 29; in Porto Alegre the rate was 6.72% because of the increase of 28.86% in one of the concessionaires, in force on April 19. In the Metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro (1.67%) and Belém (1.53%), the changes were also relatively high due to the rise in the taxes (PIS/PASEP/COFINS).

Following electricity, there were medicines, which were 2.10% more expensive and caused the second highest impact (0.07 percentage points) on the monthly index. This rise reflected part of the increase granted on March 31, which ranged between 1.02% and 5.68%, depending on the therapeutic classification of the medicine. As a result, the highest indexes of the groups were registered in Health and Personal Care (1.20%) and Housing (1.19%), as shown in the table below.

Despite the pressures exerted by electricity fees and medicines, which, together, accounted for 0.17 percentage points, the IPCA-15 of May posted deceleration. That is due, principally, to the lower growth pace of the prices of food (moving to 0.88% while in April they had a high of 1.84%), coupled with airfares, which fell 21.26%, exerting the major impact down, -0.11 percentage points.

Airfares (-21.26%), together with ethanol (-1.13%) and gasoline (-0.03%), took the group Transportation down (-0.33%) whereas, in April, this group had a high of 0.54%.

Some food products also posted decrease, with a highlight to cassava flour (-4.21%), green vegetables (-3.90%) and fruit (-1.04%). Others grew less, such as potatoes (26.96% to 13.75%), long-life milk (5.70% to 2.28%), pinto beans (12.75% to 1.50%), tomatoes (14.80% to 1.42%) and meat (from 2.83% to 0.45%).

Among the other groups, the highlight is Wearing apparel, which posted acceleration, from 0.37% in April to 0.67% in May.

Among the indexes by area, the highest was in Fortaleza (1.15%) due to the 10.26% high in the electricity fees, reflecting the 16.55% increase in force since April 22, together with food products rising 1.92%. The lowest index occurred in Brasília (0.11%) due to the 18.51% drop in the prices of airfares, whose 2.35% weight caused an impact of -0.43 percentage points. The following table shows the results by area surveyed:

In order to estimate IPCA-15, prices were collected from April 12 to May 14 (reference) and compared with those in effect from March 15 to April 11 (base). The indicator refers to families with monthly income of one to 40 minimum wages and it encompasses the Metropolitan Areas 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 and in the geographical coverage.