The Extended National Consumer Price Index 15 (IPCA-15) had a change of 0.14% in May, 0.07 percentage points (pp) below the April rate (0.21%). This was the lowest rate for a month in May since the year 2000, when the index recorded 0.09%. The accumulated IPCA-15 in the year was 1.23%, the lowest level for the January-May period since the implementation of the Real Plan. The cumulative index in the last twelve months was 2.70%, falling below the 2.80% registered in the previous 12-month period. In May 2017, the rate was 0.24%.

Of the nine groups of products and services surveyed, Food and beverage (-0.05%), Household articles (-0.11%) and Transportation (-0.35%) presented deflation from April to May. Whereas the other gorups registered price rises.

The drop of 0.05% in Food was mainly influenced by food away (-0.28%), whose results ranged from -0.86% in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo to 1.06% in the Metropolitan Area of Porto Alegre. The highlight was the item meal away (-0.46%).

On the other hand, the food at home group showed a 0.09% increase after the 0.05% drop in April. While onions (35.68%), green vegetables (6.10%), carioca beans (3.75%) and long-life milk (4.44%) registered increase, other important items in household consumption registered a fall in prices: granulated sugar (3.90%), fishery (-3.51%), whole chicken (-1.60%), rice (-1.35%) and fruits (-0.97%).

In Househod articles (-0.11%), the drop was driven by the item TV, sound and computer equipment (-1.47%). With the exception of Porto Alegre (0.22%), the other regions surveyed presented price decreases from April to May.

In Transportation (-0.35%), despite the 0.81% increase in gasoline, there were declines in ethanol (-5.17%) and airfares (-14.94%). Both contributed with -0.05pp (the sharpest negative impact on the month's index) to the May result.

Regarding the increases, the group Health and personal care (0.76%) had the highest change among the groups and the highest impact on the index of the month, 0.09 pp. The pressure was exerted by health insurance plans (1.06% ) and medicines (1.04%) - which were adjusted annually, starting March 31, with changes ranging from 2.09% to 2.84%, depending on the type of medicine.

In the Housing group (0.45%), the highlight was the item electricity (2.18%), representing the highest individual impact on the May index. Besides the effect of the yellow tariff starting on May 1, with the charge of R$0.01 to each kwh consumed, the following areas were subject to tariff adjustment: Salvador (15.47%) - adjustment of 16.95% as of April 22; Porto Alegre (5.95%) - adjustment of 9.85% as of April 19; Recife (5.59%) - adjustment of 8.47% as of April 29; and Fortaleza (5.80%) - adjustment of 3.80% as of April 22.

Piped gas (0.46%) reflected the 1.87% increase in Rio de Janeiro (0.88%), in effect since May 1, and the water and sewage fee (0.01%), the readjustment of 2.78% in Recife (0.35%), as of May 12.

Manpower for small repairs (-0.10%), of th group Housing (0.45%), and domestic workers (0.43%), of the group Personal expenses (0.14%), started to incorporate the change calculated from the information from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Continuous PNAD). These methodological changes were disclosed through Technical Notes 02 and 03/2018, of March 12. There is also an article in the IBGE News Agency about this change.

Regarding regional indices, the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (-0.19%) showed the lowest result due to the drop in ethanol (-5.56%) and airfares (-28.39%). The Metropolitan Area of Salvador presented the highest result (0.77%), influenced by electricity (15.47%), due to the 16.95% tariff readjustment since April 22, and onion, which recorded a high of 44.84%. The following table presents the results by area surveyed.

For the calculation of the IPCA-15, prices were collected between April 14 and May 15, 2018 (reference) and compared with those in force from March 16 to April 13, 2018. The indicator refers to households with income ranging from 1 to 40 minimum wages and covers the Metropolitan Areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador and Curitiba, as well as Brasília and Goiânia. The methodology used is the same as that of the IPCA, the difference elis in the period of price collection and in the geographic coverage.