The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) changed 0.55% in April and stood 0.08 percentage points above the rate of 0.47% registered in March. Including April’s figure, the cumulative index in the year stayed at 2.50%, above the rate of 1.87% relative to the same period of 2012. Considering the last 12 months, the index is at 6.49%, below the rate of 6.59% in the previous 12-month period. In April 2012, the rate was at 0.64%.

The complete publication of the survey can be accessed at https://www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/precos/inpc_ipca/defaultinpc.shtm.

By rising 2.99%, medicines alone led the list of major impacts on the IPCA this month, accounting for 0.10 percentage points. This figure reflects part of the authorized price adjustments on March 31, which ranged from 2.70% to 6.31%, depending on the medicine classification. As a result, the group of Health and Personal Care rose to 1.28% in April against 0.32% in March. It recorded the highest group change this month, also influenced by the item "medical and dental services", which increased 1.19%. The figures by groups of products and services surveyed are showed in the following table:

After medicines, the second impact came from the item domestic workers, which rose 1.25%. Though below the rate of 1.53% in March, it accounted for 0.05 percentage points this month. Even though the item domestic workers has decelerated from one month to the other, as well as manicure (from 1.30% to 1.15%) and hairdresser (from 1.14% to 0.43%), the group of Personal Expenses increased from 0.54% to 0.61% under the influence of item “leisure”, which had declined 0.72% in March and rose 0.14% in April.

The expenses with Housing also increased, changing from 0.51% in March to 0.62% in April, highlighting the acceleration in the prices of the following items:

By becoming 0.81% more expensive, water and sewage fees recorded changes in the metropolitan areas of Curitiba (5.79%), due to the adjustment of 6.74% in the fares on March 23; Recife (3.56%), adjustment of 5.23% on March 20; São Paulo (0.40%), adjustment of 2.38% on April 22, as well as Brasília (0.30%), due to the adjustment of 9.54% in the fares on March 1st.

With the introduction of the new collection in the market, Apparel changed 0.65% against 0.15% in the previous month, whereas the group of Household Articles changed 0.63% against 0.11%, registering a rise in almost all the items surveyed.

Food and Beverages increased 0.96%, lower than the growth of 1.14% in March, pointing to the continuous deceleration of food prices started between January and February, when it changed from 1.99% to 1.45%. Even so, the group of Food and Beverages was responsible for 0.24 percentage points of the IPCA this month, accounting for 44% of it. A number of products became cheaper between March and April; the highlights are in the following table.

On the other hand, the following table shows the main food products that became more expensive from one month to the other. By rising 0.92% and accounting for 0.05 percentage points, food away from home had the same impact as domestic workers, both items in the second place in the ranking.

By changing from 0.56% to 0.10%, the group of Education decelerated due to the regular courses, which recorded a high of 0.40% in March and now decreased to 0.05%. Just in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza, this group absorbed a complementary increase of 1.59%, still due to the rise of the prices of monthly tuitions in the beginning of the school year. Moreover, the so-called "other courses" (languages, computing, etc.) did not register price change in April, after changing 1.23% in March.

The expenses with Transportation and Communication declined between March and April. The reduction from 0.13% to -0.32% in the group of Communication was due to landline telephone bills, which changed from 0.15% to -1.06%. It can be explained by the fact that landline to mobile telephone calls became cheaper since April 6.

In the group of Transportation the fall of 0.19% was even higher than that of 0.09% recorded in March. On average, airline fares cost 9.12% less than in March, accounting for -0.05 percentage points and representing the major influence on the reduction, after a 16.43 fall in March.  By falling 0.41% against 0.09% in the previous month, gasoline heavily influenced this group. Ethanol (from 3.55% to 0.16%) and diesel fuel (from 3.12% to 0.91%) also lost strength between March and April. In addition, the item cars, both new (from 0.35% to –0.12%) and used (from 0.66% to –0.22%), dropped the prices. It is worth mentioning the reduction of 0.24% in urban bus fares, due to the change of -6.79% recorded in the metropolitan area of Salvador. Within this area, users began to pay half fare on Sundays since March 31. On the other hand, the metropolitan area of Curitiba registered a rise of 4.82%, not only due to the adjustment of 5.66% in the urban bus fares from Mondays to Saturdays, in force since March 14, but also to the adjustment of 50% in the special fare charged on Sundays. In regard to Porto Alegre, the change of 0.70% in urban bus fares can be explained by the adjustment of 7.02% approved on March 25 and subsequently cancelled on April 5.  As a consequence, the group of non-food products changed from 0.25% in March to 0.42% in April.

As to the regional indexes, the highest change was in Recife (0.90%), due to the rise of 1.50% in the prices of food products, pushing the monthly rate. The lowest indexes were registered in Porto Alegre (0.32%) and Goiânia (0.31%), both due to the lower figures for food products. This group recorded a fall of 0.01% in Porto Alegre and of 0.49% in Goiânia. The next table shows the monthly figures by region surveyed:

IPCA has been calculated by IBGE since 1980. It refers to families with monthly income of one to 40 minimum wages, whatever the source, and it encompasses nine metropolitan areas in the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia and Brasília. In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from March 29 to April 26, 2013 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from February 28 to March 28, 2013 (base).

INPC changes 0.59% in April

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) recorded a change of 0.59% in April, very close to the figure of 0.60% in March.  The cumulative index in the year stayed at 2.66%, above the rate of 1.73% relative to the same period of 2012. Considering the last 12 months, the index stayed at 7.16%, below that of the 12-month period to March 2013 (7.22%). In April 2012, the INPC was at 0.64%.

Food products recorded a change of 0.97% in April, while non-food products increased 0.43%. In March, the figures stayed at 1.16% and 0.36%, respectively.

As to the regional indexes, the highest change was in Recife (0.96%), due to the rise of 1.44% in the prices of food products, pressing the monthly rate. The lowest indexes were registered in Porto Alegre (0.32%) and Goiânia (0.30%), both due to the lower figures for food products. This group recorded a change of 0.06% in Porto Alegre and of 0.34% in Goiânia. The table with figures by region is showed below:

INPC has been calculated by IBGE since 1979. It refers to families with monthly income of one to five minimum wages, with a salaried head of the family, and it encompasses nine metropolitan areas in the country, besides the municipalities of Goiânia and Brasília. In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from March 29 to April 26, 2013 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from February 28 to March 28, 2013 (base).