The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) changed 0.96% in December and stood 0.05 percentage points (p.p.) below the November´s rate (1.01%). Nonetheless, it was the highest monthly rate for December since 2002 (2.10%). In December 2014, the rate was 0.78%.
In the year, the IPCA registered a cumulative rise of 10.67% against 6.41% in 2014.

Of the nine groups of products and services surveyed, the two groups that registered the highest figures were Food and Beverages (1.50%) and Transportation (1.36%), which, together, accounted for 66% of the IPCA in December, with the total of 0.63 percentage points.

In the group of Food and Beverages (1.50%) the rise reached 2.32% in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza and 2.04% in Recife. It is observed an average increase of food consumed at home of 1.96%, even more than food away from home, which changed 0.65%. Several items recorded a significant rise, highlighted by onions (13.71%) and tomatoes (11.45%), refined sugar (10.20%) and crystallized sugar (7.14%), black-eyed beans (7.24%) and carioca beans (7.02%).

In Transportation, the hike of 1.36% was influenced by airfare, whose fares of the flights offered in December stood at 37.07% above the rates of November, when it was registered the change of -5.18%. With 0.14 percentage points in the formation of the IPCA of December, airfare led the list of the main individual contribution. In addition, the prices of fuel, that in the two previous months led the contribution, remained increasing, even at a lower intensity. The hike was at 1.50%, being 1.26% the increase of the liter of gasoline and 2.80% of the liter of ethanol.

Still in the group of Transportation (1.36%), the highlight is the item used cars (0.78%) and intercity buses fares (2.35%), reflecting increases occurred in Goiânia (13.17%), Brasília (9.70%), São Paulo (3.50%), Fortaleza (1.66%) and Curitiba (1.47%).

The group Wearing apparel, with 1.15%, also showed a significant increase, highlighted by women's wearing apparel (1.65%) and men's wearing apparel (1.23%).

Health and Personal care (0.70%) was influenced by the items health insurance (1.06%), laboratory and hospital services (0.95%) and personal hygiene products (0.90%), whereas the group of Personal expenses (0.57%) was pressured by excursion (5.76%), manicurist (1.16%), hairdresser (1.09%) and domestic workers (0.43%).

The highest regional index was reported in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza (1.45%), where food products increased 2.32%. The lowest index was registered in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte (0.58%). See below the table of monthly results by area surveyed.

The IPCA has been calculated by IBGE since 1980. It refers to families with monthly income of one to 40 minimum wages, whatever the source. It encompasses ten metropolitan areas in Brazil, besides the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande and Brasília. In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from November 28 to December 29, 2015 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from October 28 to November 27, 2015 (base).

In 2015, IPCA records a cumulative high of 10.67%

Representing the highest rate since 2002 (12.53%), the IPCA-2015 reached 10.67, far from the rate of 6.41% of 2014. In 2015, consumers started to pay more for all the groups of products and services necessary in the cost of living, mainly the expenses related to Housing, which rose 18.31%. Compared with the previous year, the lowest change was registered only in Household articles (5.36%).

Throughout the year, the rates were:

The highest figure was registered in the first quarter of 2015 (3.83%), due to the significant readjustment of the urban bus fares and the intercity bus fares, and electricity fares and of water and sewage fares. It was registered an ordinary and extraordinary adjustment, in the last two items. Furthermore, the first quarter of the year reflected an increase of the electricity fares from the Tariff System based on the expenditure on thermal power plants.

The biggest impact of 2015 (1.50 percentage points) stood at electricity, which, together with fuel (1.04 percentage points), they accounted for 24% of the index of the year. Electricity fares rose 51%, on average, with the biggest changes in São Paulo (70.97%) and Curitiba (69.22%). In fuel (21.43%), the liter of gasoline increased 20.10%, on average, reaching 27.13% in the metropolitan area of Recife. Ethanol rose 29.63%, on average, and reached 33.75% in the metropolitan area of Curitiba, very close to 33.65% of São Paulo. The table below shows the changes by area.

Other expenses with Housing (18.31%) weighted in the budget, in addition to electricity. Important in the preparation of food, the item bottled gas was the highlight with an average rise of 22.55%, surpassed by Goiânia, with 35.86%. The water and sewage rates rose 14.75%, reaching 23.10% also in Goiânia. Whereas residential rent increased 7.83%, condominium fees stood at 9.72% and cleaning products at 9.56%.

In food and beverages, the group with the biggest weight in the IPCA (25.10%), the high was of 12.03%. Concerning food products purchased to be consumed at home, it was observed a generalized rise. Several products became even more expensive from 2014 to 2015. The highlights were: onions (60.61%), tomatoes (47.45%), potatoes (34.18%) and carioca beans (30.38%), important products to consumers. See below the main increases:

In terms of food away from home, the results were:

In five of the thirteen areas surveyed, the high of the products prices of the group surpassed 13%, with the highest rate reported in Curitiba (13.87%). The price of food products at home, whose weight was 16.32%, increased 12.92%, even more than food away from home, with 8.79% of the index's weight, increasing 10.38% (table below).

The group of food products, important in the family consumption, has been exerting pressure on the cost of living. From 2007 to 2015, the results of the group were: 2007 (10.79%), 2008 (11.11%), 2009 (3.18%), 2010 (10.39%), 2011 (7.18%), 2012 (9.86%), 2013 (8.48%), 2014 (8.03%) and 2015 (12.03%).

In Transportation (10.16%), group with 18.37% of the index's weight, surpassed only by food products, was pressured by public transportation, in addition to fuel: Urban buses (15.09%), Train (12.39%), Intercity bus (11.95%), Interstate bus (11.42%) and Taxi (7.24%).

Concerning Personal expenses (9.50%), Education (9.25%) and Health and Personal care (9.23%), they reported similar figures. In Personal Expenses (9.50%), families started to spend more on services provided by domestic workers (8.35%). Other items became more expensive. The highlights were: games of chances (47.50%), bank services (11.40%), excursion (9.69%), hairdresser (9.20%), cigarettes (8.20%) and manicurist (7.82%).

The expenses with Education (9.25%) increased, due to the rise in the monthly tuition of schools (9.17%) and regular courses such as languages, computing, etc., with a hike of 10.32%.

In terms of expenses with Health and Personal care (9.23%), the item Health insurance exerted the main pressure, due to the rise of the monthly tuition by 12.15%. In addition, the following prices also posted rises: medical and dental services (9.04%), laboratory and hospital services (8.43%), personal hygiene products (9.13%) and medicines (6.89%).

Household articles (5.36%), Wearing apparel (4.46%) and Communication (2.11%) were the groups with the lowest rates in the IPCA-2015.

Among the regional indexes, the metropolitan area of Curitiba reported the biggest change (12.58%) considering the impact of the readjustment of 50% in the Tax on Movement of Goods and Services (ICMS) on a significant number of items, in force since April 1st. Food consumed at home (16.36%), in addition to electricity, were the highlighted items, whose fares increased 69.22%. The lowest index was reported in Belo Horizonte (9.22%), where food products rose 9.69%, lesser than the national result (12.03%).

In December, INPC stays at 0.90% and closes 2015 at 11.28%

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) recorded a change of 0.90% in December and stood 0.21 percentage points below the result of 1.11% of November. It was the highest monthly rate for December since 2007 (0.97%).

Food products changed 1.60% in December, whereas in November the change was of 1.98%. The group of non-food products showed the rate of 0.59% in December, below the result of 0.73% of November.

Among the regional indexes, the highest rate was registered in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza (1.44%), where food products increased 2.30%. The lowest index was recorded in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte (0.50%).

In 2015, INPC posts a cumulative rate of 11.28%

The INPC closed 2015 in 11.28%, above the rate of 6.23% of 2014. It was the highest cumulative index of the year since 2002 (14.74%). Food products changed 12.36%, whereas non-food products changed 10.80%. In 2014, food products rose 7.80% and non-food products, 5.51%. The figures by group were:

Among the regional indexes, the highest rate was recorded in the metropolitan area of Curitiba (13.81%), with the impact of the readjustment of 50% in the Tax on Movement of Goods and Services (ICMS) on a significant number of items, in force since April 1st. Food consumed at home (16.37%), in addition to electricity (68.95%) were the highlighted items that increased. The lowest index was reported in Vitória (9.50%), where the readjustment of the urban buses fares did not occur over the year.

The INPC has been calculated by IBGE since 1979. It refers to families with monthly earnings between one and five minimum wages, with a salaried head of the family, and it encompasses ten metropolitan areas in Brazil, as well as the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande and Brasília.