With the contribution of education, the Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) of February changed by 0.49%, and was slightly below the rate obtained in January (0.54%). In the last 12 months, however, the figure of 4.61% was a little above the rate for the immediately previous 12 months (4.56%). The February IPCA was 0.44%. 

In February this year, IPCA increased by 3.47% in terms of education, the activity which presented the biggest change and accounted for the major contribution to the monthly index: 0.24 percentage points. In this group, there was increase of 4.09% in the formal education fares, reflecting the typical occurrence of readjustments in the beginning of the school year. The item represented the major individual contribution to the index of the month: 0.20 percentage points. Fortaleza was the exception, the only metropolitan area without increase, due to a different period of readjustment. In the other areas, changes in formal education ranged from 2.69% in Rio de Janeiro to 6.44% in Goiânia. In the monthly payment of other courses (languages, computer science, etc) the change, for the group of areas surveyed, was 4.33%.

The group food products and beverages, in spite of the change below the January figure (0.60% versus 1.52%), also contributed with 0.13 percentage points to the IPCA of February,; it was the second major contribution to the results in the month. Recife (1.81%) and Fortaleza (1.33%) had the biggest results for food products; São Paulo (0.11%) and Goiânia, the lowest ones (0.31%).

In spite of the reduced change from one month to the other (8.21% in February and 14.02% in January), the price of beans remained on a growing trend. On the other hand, meats, whose change in January had been 0.29%, fell by 1.00% last month.

For non-food products, the February rate was 0.46%, above the January figure, 0.29%. This result reflected the readjustment of school fares.

Differently from education, urban buses had the lowest change in fares (from 1.19% in January to 0.49% in February), whereas fuels fell by 1.42% (-0.33% in January). Alcohol became 2.31% cheaper, affecting gasoline, the liter of which got 1.42% cheaper.

Among the areas surveyed, Recife had the highest IPCA (1.23%), due, mainly, to the rise of urban bus fares (5.16%). Curitiba (0.33%), Porto Alegre (0.36%) and São Paulo (0.37%) had the lowest results, as shown in the table below.

IPCA has been calculated by the IBGE since 1980.  It refers to families with monetary income, from any source, ranging from 1 to 40 minimum wages, and includes nine metropolitan areas of the country, besides the municipality of Goiânia, and Brasília.  To calculate the index of this month, prices collected from January 30 to February 29 (reference) were compared to those in effect from December 28 to January 29 (base). 

INPC changed by 0.48% in February

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) changed by 0.48% in February, and was below the January result (0.69%). In the last 12 months, the result was 5.43%, that is, above the rate of 5.36% registered in the 12 immediately previous months. In February 2007, INPC had been 0.42%.

Last month, food products changed by 0.89%, whereas non-food products increased 0.31%. The highest and the lowest indexes by area were those of Recife (1.26%) and São Paulo (0.18%), respectively, as shown in the table below.

INPC has been calculated by the IBGE since 1979 and it refers to families headed by a salaried worker with monetary income ranging from one to six minimum wages.  It includes nine metropolitan areas, besides the municipality of Goiânia, and Brasília.  To calculate the index of the month, prices collected from January 30 to February 29 (reference) were compared to prices in effect from December 28 to January 29 (base).