The Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) for April was 0.61%, 0.10 percentage points (pp) below the rate of 0.71% recorded in March. In the year, the IPCA accumulates an increase of 2.72% and, in the last 12 months, of 4.18%, below the 4.65% recorded in the previous 12 months. In April 2022, the change had been 1.06%.

All the nine groups of products and services surveyed recorded increases in April, with Health and Personal care accounting for the biggest change (1.49%) and impact (0.19 p.p). It was followed by Food and beverages (0.71%) and Transportation (0.56%), which accounted for 0.15 p.p. and 0.12 p.p., respectively. The other groups stood between 0.08% from Communication and 0.79% from Apparel.

In the group Health and personal care (1.49%), the biggest impact (0.12 p.p.) came from pharmaceuticals (3.55%), after the the price rise of up to 5.60% in the price of medicines, in effect since since March 31st. Besides, health insurance (1.20%) still encompasses monthly shares of price rise for new and existing contracts for the period 2022 - 2023. Also, items of personal hygiene decelerated from 0.76% in March to 0.56% in April, mainly due to the item perfumes (-1.09%).

Acceleration in Food and beverages (from 0.05% to 0.71%) was influenced by food at home, which recorded a change from -0.14% in March to 0.73% in April. Rising prices were those of tomato (10.64%), long life milk (4.96%) and cheese (1.97%). From the perspective of decreases, the highlights were onions (-7.01%) and soybean (-4.44%).

Food away from home changed 0.66%, above that reported in the previous month (0.60%). Whereas snacks decelerated from 1.09% to 0.93%, meals (0.51%) recorded a result above the March figure (0.41%).

In Transportation (from 2.11% in March to 0.56% in April), deceleration wa influenced by the fall of fuels (-0.44%), which had risen 7.01% in March. Diesel
(-2.25%), vehicle gas (-0.83%) and gasoline (-0.52%) dropped in April, whereas ethanol rose 0.92%. Airfares rose 11.97% in April, after a decrease of 5.32% in March.

Also in Transportation, subway fares (1.24%) were increased by 6.15% in Rio de Janeiro (3.54%), starting on April 12. The rise of 1.11% in urban bus fares was due to price rises of 15.75% in Fortaleza (9.16%), starting on March 19, and of 33.33% in Belo Horizonte (6,67%), starting on April 23. As for intercity buses (-0.25%), the average rise reached 5.77% in Campo Grande (5.58%), since April 1st.

In Housing (0.48%), the main contribution (0.02 p.p.) came from residential electricity (0.48%), due to price rises in four areas of coverage for the index: in Campo Grande (6.11%), by 9.80%, in effect since April 8; in Rio de Janeiro (5.23%), with rises of 7.49% and 6.00% in the two concessionaires surveyed, starting on March 15; in Salvador (1.19%), with price rise of 8.28%, in effect since April 22; and in Fortaleza (-1.39%), with an adjustment of 4.85%, since April 22.

The rise of 0.33% in the rate of water and sewage results from the price rises of 7.02% in Goiânia (6.55%), starting on April 1st and of 11.20% in Recife (0.38%), starting on April 28. The change in piped gas (0.22%) results from the residual appropriation of tax rise and of a change in the charging method in Curitiba (1.49%), since February 1st, and that had not been incorporated in March’s IPCA.

As for regional indexes, all the areas surveyed recorded increases in April. The highest change was in Porto Alegre (1.25%), due to the rises in gasoline (10.63%) and residential electricity (9.79%). The smallest change was registered in Recife (0.16%), influenced by drops if 3.41% in gasoline and 2.51% in car repair.

In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from March 30 to April 28, 2023 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from March 01 to March 29, 2023 (base). The IPCA has been calculated by the IBGE since 1980. It refers to households with monthly income of 1 to 40 minimum wages, whatever the source and encompasses ten metropolitan areas in Brazil, besides the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande, Rio Branco, São Luís, Aracaju and Brasília.

INPC up by 0.53% in April

The National Consumer Price Index (INPC) rose by 0.53% in April, below the figure in the previous month (0.64%). In the year, the INPC had a cumulative increase of 2.42% and, in the last 12 months, of 3.83%, being below the 4.36% observed in the previous 12 mnoths. In April 2022, the rate had been 1.04%.

Food products recorded an increase of 0.61% in April, after a drop of 0.07% in March. Non-food products rose by 0.50%, decelerating in relation to the result of March, 0.87%.

As for regional indexes,all the areas registered a positive change in April. The lowest result was that of Recife (0.07%), due to drops in the prices of gasoline (-3.41%) and of car repair (-2.51%). The highest change, in turn, was registered in Campo Grande (0.95%), driven by the rise of 5.98% in electricity.

In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from March 30 to April 28, 2023 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from March 01 to March 29, 2023 (base). The INPC has been calculated by the IBGE since 1979. It refers to households with monthly income of 1 to 5 minimum wages, with a salaried head of the household. It encompasses ten metropolitan areas in Brazil, besides the municipalities of Goiânia, Campo Grande, Rio Branco, São Luís, Aracaju and Brasília.