The Extended National Consumer Price Index-15 (IPCA-15) changed 1.07% in April and stood 0.17 percentage points (p.p.) below the rate of March (1.24%). It was the highest rate registered in April since 2003, when it hit 1.14%. As a result, the cumulative index in the year stayed at 4.61%, above the rate of 2.91% recorded in the same period of 2014. The cumulative rate in the last 12 months hit 8.22%, the highest rate since January 2004 (8.46%). In April 2014, the IPCA-15 stayed at 0.78%. The complete data of the IPCA-15 can be accessed on page www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/precos/ipca15/defaultipca15.shtm.

Housing registered the highest change (3.66%) among the nine groups of products and services surveyed, whereas Communication recorded the lowest rate (-0.30%).

At individual level, electricity led the ranking of major impacts (0.45 p.p.). The strong rise of 13.02% in the electricity fares reflected price adjustments in force since March 2, both in the fare flag in force (red) - which increased 83.33%, when changing from R$3.00 to R$5.50 - and in the fares themselves, which were extraordinarily adjusted. The following table shows the figures by area surveyed, also including the price adjustments in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.

Altogether, the groups of Housing (3.66%), which impacted 0.55 p.p., and Food and Beverages (1.04%), which impacted 0.26 p.p., accounted for 75.70% of the April´s index and added up to 0.81 p.p.

In addition to energy, the group of Housing posted increases in other items, highlighted by water and sewage fare (1.05%); cleaning articles (0.93%); condominium fees (0.87%); bottled gas (0.82%); residential rent (0.74%); and manpower for small repairs ( 0.74%).

Food rose 1.04%, highlighted by the increasing prices of onions (6.72%), garlic (6.61%), eggs (5.49%), milk (4.96%), tomatoes (4.28%) and soybean oil (3.68%). Concerning the areas surveyed, Curitiba registered the highest prices (1.64%), while Goiânia recorded the lowest change (0.37%).

The other main highlights were: airfare (10.30%); banking services (1.32%); smartphones (1.18%); domestic workers (1.12%); hairdresser (1.07%); wearing apparel (0.94%); car repair (0.89%); and medicines (0.81%).

Among the regional indexes, the highest rate was reported in the metropolitan area of Curitiba (1.79%), especially due to the expressive rise of electricity (20.17%) and of food (1.64%). The lowest index was posted in Recife (0.63%), where electricity (0.67%) registered its lowest figure. The next table shows the monthly figures by area surveyed:

In order to estimate the IPCA-15, the prices collected from March 14 to April 13, 2015 (reference) were compared with the ones in force from February 12 to March 13, 2015 (base).  The indicator refers to families with monthly income of one to forty 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 the IPCA; the difference lies in the period of price collection and in the geographic coverage.