The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) changed 0.74% in and stood 0.03 percentage points above the rate of April (0.71%). As a result, the index accumulated 5.34% this year, the highest result for the period from January to May since 2003 (6.80%). In the same period a year ago, the rate was 3.33%. Considering the last 12 months, the index reached 8.47%, a higher result than that of the twelve previous months, when it was at 8.17%. In May 2014, the IPCA registered a rate of 0.46%.

The complete data of IPCA can be accessed at https://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/precos/inpc_ipca/defaultinpc.shtm

With a high of 2.77%, electricity is again the main individual contribution, accounting for 0.11 percentage points (p.p.) of the index this month. Electricity is one of the most important items in the household expenditures, with a contribution of 3.89% in the weight structure of the IPCA. In May, in some surveyed areas, the increase of the bills surpassed 10%, as shown in the following table.

In the areas where there was not an annual adjustment in the values of the bills, the change is due to tax differences. Such is the case of the Metropolitan Area of Vitória, where PIS/COFINS had a rise of 529.25%.

With the increases occurred in May, the consumer is paying this year, on average, 41.94% more for the use of electricity, while in the last twelve months the bills are 58.47% more expansive. The following table presents the results of electricity, in the year and in the last 12 months, by area surveyed.

In the group housing, whose change was 1.22%, besides the item electricity, the highlights were bottled gas (1.31%); water and sewerage fares (1.23%); condominium fees (0.89%), house renting (0.66%) and cleaning articles (0.65%).

In water and sewerage fares, the 1.23% result was influenced by the Metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte, where the increase of 8.06% reflects part of the rise of 15.03% in force since May 13. IN the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro, with a change of 0.96%, the increase of 4.05% was on May 22.

In the other groups of products and services surveyed, as shown in the table below, the highest expenses in May were those with Food and Beverages (1.37%) the lowest ones were those with transportation (-0.29%).

In the group of food products, tomatoes' prices   were still going up, reaching 21.38% in the month, leading, in the group, the list of major impacts (0.07 p.p.). The other highlights are in the following table:

On the other hand, some food products became cheaper in May, some of them stood out:

In Health and Personal Care, the high was 1.10% under the influence of medicine, which stood 1.64% more expensive in the month, totaling 5.35% in the year. The price rise is a reflex of the adjustment of 5.00%, 6.35% or 7.70%, according to the concentration level of the market, in force since March 31. In the group, other items that stood out were personal hygiene (1.07%), lab and hospital services (1.04%), health insurance plan (0.77%) and medical and dental services (0.75%).

In personal expenses, with a change of 0.74%, the major pressure was exerted by the item recreation (1.77%) because of the adjustments occurred, since May 18 in the amount of the game bets, whose high went to 12.76%.

Children's wear (0.97%) presented the highest change in the group Wearing Apparel (0.61%), whereas the item repair and maintenance (0.71%) the highlights were Household Articles (0.36%) for house appliances (-0.17%) became cheaper in the month. In Education (0.06%) and Communication (0.17%) no item stood out.

The lowest result of the group stood with transportation, which moved to -0.29%. That occurred due to the decrease of 23.37% in the item airfare, which generated the contribution of -0.10 p.p. in the month's index, the lowest one.

Among the regional indexes, the highest rate was in the Metropolitan Area of Recife (1.51%), where food products increased 2.32%, well above the national average (1.37%), electricity increased 12.20% and gasoline, 5.20%, also pushing the result up. Brasília (0.25%) had the lowest index due to the 23.72% drop in the prices of airfares, weighting 2.07% and with an impact of -0.49 percentage points. See below the table of monthly results by area surveyed.

In order to measure the index of the month the prices collected from April 30 to May 27 of 2015 (reference) were compared with the ones in effect from March 28 to April 29 of 2015 (base). 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 the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande and Brasília.

In May, INPC changes 0.99%

The National Consumer Price Index – INPC recorded change of 0.99 in May, being above the result of 0.71% of April by 0.28 percentage points. With that result, the cumulative indicator of the year was at 5.99%, quite above the rate of 3.52% relative to the same period of 2014.

Considering the last 12 months, the index went to 8.76%, above the rate of 8.34% registered in the 12 previous months. In May 2014, INPC was at 0.60%

Food products recorded 1.48% in May, whereas in April the rate was 0.96%. The group of the non-food products had a change of 0.78% in May, quite above the rate of 0.60% seen in April.

Among the regional indexes, the highest rate was in the Metropolitan Area of Recife (1.49%), where food products increased 2.36%, well above the national average (1.48%), electricity increased 12.30% and gasoline, 5.20%, also pushing the result up. The lowest index was in Rio de Janeiro, 0.73%. See below the table of monthly results by area surveyed.

In order to measure the index of the month the prices collected from April 30 to May 27 of 2015 (reference) were compared with the ones in effect from March 28 to April 29 of 2015 (base). INPC has been calculated by IBGE since 1979. It refers to families with monthly income of one to five minimum wages, whatever the source. It encompasses ten metropolitan areas in the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande and Brasília.