The Extended National Consumer Price Index-15 (IPCA-15) changed by 0.23% in August, a very close figure to the 0.22% recorded in July. With this result, the index accumulated in the year reached 2.95%, below that of the same period last year (4.69%). In the last 12 months, the rate of 4.34% was also lower than that in the immediately previous 12 months (4.47%). In August 2008, IPCA-15 was 0.35%.

The stable result from July to August is due to the smaller change in prices of food products, that decreased by 0.28% in August, while in July had increased by 0.33%. Pasteurized milk, which had been recording high results since May and was extremely significant for the result of the group, this month presented a fall of 1.48%, while in July the rise had been 9.25%. Other products, also important for family consumption, were responsible for the deceleration of food products. Among them the highlights are: refined sugar (1.84% to -0.07%), crystallized sugar (from 1.72% to -0.39%), “carioca” beans (from 5.21% to 1.41%), meats (from -0.35% to -1.45%), potatoes (-12.91% to-11.02%), tomatoes (from 0.01% to -10.29%), soybean oil (from 0.25% to -4.14%), chicken (from 0.04% to -1.46%), and yogurt (from 0.81% to -3.89%).

Non-food products, on the other hand, presented growth in the August rate (0.38%) in comparison to the previous month (0.19%). That is because, despite the fall in prices of apparel (from 0.24% to    -0.25%), electricity (from 1.18% to 2.15%) brought the highest contribution in the month (0.07 percentage point), due to readjustments in effect since July 4^th in São Paulo (12.90%), and since August 7^th in Belém (3.50%). The changes in the price of electricity, appropriate in the IPCA-15 collection period of August, were 7.70% in São Paulo, and 1.98%, in Belém.

Water and sewage accounts were also readjusted in the following areas: Rio de Janeiro (5.95%), since August 1^st; Porto Alegre (4.70%), since July 1^st; and Fortaleza (6.52%), since July 25^th; what made the item present a result of 0.64% in August, versus 0.12% in July. Consequently, Housing changed by 0.85% in the month.

The group Transportation changed from -0.02% in July to 0.16% in August. The price of a liter of alcohol increased by 3.54%, while in the previous month had increased by 0.90%. Gasoline continued on a hike, although lower, changing from 0.91% to 0.52%. Interstate bus fares also increased, from 1.82% to 2.92%.

Regarding education, a change of 0.90% reflected the results of the collection conducted in August, in order to capture the reality of the second semester of the school year. The courses (formal education) changed by 0.74%, and the extra courses (computer, languages, etc.) changed by 1.95%. New collections to confirm the charged school fares will be conducted in September and in the beginning of next year.

Among the indexes by area, São Paulo presented the highest result, 0.51%, with the highest rates for food products (0.24%) and electricity (7.70%). The lowest result was recorded in the metropolitan area of Salvador (-0.17%).

For the calculation of IPCA, prices collected between July 15^th and August 13^th were compared to those collected between June 16^th and July 14^th. The indicator refers to families with income of one 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, besides Brasília and the municipality of Goiânia. The used methodology is the same as that of IPCA; the difference lies in the period of data collection.