The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) of February presented a variation of 0.78%, a little above the 0.75% rate recorded in January. With the result of February, the accumulated in the year was 1.54%, above the 1.03% rate related to the same period of 2009. Considering the last 12 months, the index was 4.83%, also above that of the immediately previous 12 months (4.59%). The IPCA of February was 0.55%. 

The group Education, with a 4.53% rise and a contribution of 0.32 percentage point, was responsible for 41% of the February index. Reflecting the typical beginning-of-the-year readjustments, increases in school fares were 5.38%, with 0.26 percentage point, the biggest individual contribution in the month. In the Metropolitan areas, results were between 2.00% (Porto Alegre, complementing the 2.92% January variation) and 7.57% (Salvador), with no variation in Fortaleza because of a different readjustment period. In the fares of extra courses (languages, computer science, etc.), variation was 4.79%.

The other groups, however, except for Housing and Communication, presented rates inferior to those of January, according to the next table.

Even with the high result of the group Food products and beverages (0.96%), some products became cheaper. 

Intercity buses changed from 2.94% to 0.62%, reflecting the readjustments of the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, besides the decrease of 1.55% verified in the fares at Rio de Janeiro.

Fuels presented lower results in February: from 2.08% to 1.14%. Influenced by the increased price of alcohol, gasoline changed from 1.33%, in January, to 0.97%, in February. This was due to the slower growth rhythm of alcohol prices, whose variation was 3.21% against 11.09% in January. With this, the group Transportation changed from 1.45% to 0.79%.

The lower change rate of fuels, from a month to the other, may be explained by the reduction of taxes and the decrease from 25% to 20% of anhydrous alcohol in the composition of gasoline.

Thus, in a way to retain the month index, besides the growth rhythm of food products, fuels, and other items, it is worth highlighting the fall in medicine prices (from 0.06% to 0.43%) and apparel articles (from 0.31% to -0.52%). Even so, the group of non-food products had a variation of 0.73% (above the 0.64% of January) due to the increases recorded in Education.

Among the regional indexes, the highest was that of Belém (1.37%), where food products prices presented 1.58%. Fortaleza, whose readjustment in school fares was still not appropriate, and with a smaller variation in food products (0.29%), was the region with the lowest result (0.10%).

For the calculation of the monthly index, prices collected from January 29 to February, 2010 (reference), were compared with prices in effect from December 30, 2009, to January 28, 2010 (base). IPCA has been calculated by IBGE since 1980, and it refers to families with monetary income ranging from 01 to 40 minimum wages, whatever the source, encompassing nine metropolitan areas of the country, besides the municipality of Goiânia and Brasília.

INPC of February was 0.70%

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) presented a variation of 0.70% in February, below the result of 0.88% of January in 0.18 percentage point. With the result of February, the accumulated in the year was 1.59%, well above the 0.95% rate related to the same period of 2009. Considering the last 12 months, the index was 4.77%, above the immediately previous 12 months (4.36%). In February 2009, INPC had been 0.31%.

The variation of food products was 1.09%, whereas non-food products increased 0.54%. In January, results were 1.13% and 0.77%, respectively.

The highest regional index was verified in Belém (1.57%), where prices of food products increased 1.78%. Fortaleza, whose readjustment in school fares was still not appropriate, and with the smallest variation in food products (0.17%), was the area with the lowest result (0.02%). The table below contains the indexes by surveyed area.

For the calculation of the monthly index, prices collected from January 29 to February 25, 2010 (reference), were compared to those in effect from December 30, 2009, to January 28, 2010 (base). INPC has been calculated by IBGE since 1979 and refers to families with monetary income ranging from 01 to 06 minimum wages, with a salaried head of the house, encompassing nine metropolitan areas of the country, besides the municipality of Goiânia and Brasília.

Fares of urban buses changed from 3.90%, in January, to 2.50%, in February, the second major individual contribution: 0.10 percentage point. They reflected part of the readjustments of the beginning of the year, as shown below:

From January to February, prices of food products kept increasing, but in a slower rhythm (from 1.13% to 0.96%). Several remained as highlights, such as refined sugar (from 6.25% to 10.90%) and crystallized sugar (from 10.27% to 10.48%), tomatoes (from -13.74% to 17.26%), pasteurized milk (from 1.88% to 2.84%) and rice (from 3.26% to 4.45%).

The main food products in a rise are listed below.