The Extended National Consumer Price Index 15 (IPCA-15) was 1.73% in April, standing 0.78 percentage points (p.p.) above the March´s rate (0.95%). This was the highest monthly change of this indicator since February 2003 (2.19%) and the highest change for April since 1995, when the index had been 1.95%. The cumulative change over the year was 4.31% and, in 12 months, 12.03%, above the rate of 10.79% recorded in the 12 immediately previous months. In April 2021, the rate had been 0.60%.

Eight out of nine groups of products and services surveyed recorded price rises in April. The highest change (3.43%) and the biggest impact (0.74 p.p.) came from Transportation, which accelerated in relation to March (0.68%). It was followed by Food and beverages, which rose 2.25% and impacted 0.47 p.p. Together, the two groups contributed to nearly 70% of the April´s IPCA-15. Other highlights were the group of Housing (1.73%), which accelerated in relation to the previous month (0.53%), contributing with 0.28 p.p., and Wearing apparel (1.97%), the third highest change in the month´s index. The other rising groups stood between 0.05% (Education) and 0.94% (Household articles). Communication was the only one to drop (-0.05%).

The result of Transportation (3.43%) was mainly influenced by the increase in the price of fuels (7.54%). Gasoline rose 7.51% and accounted for the major individual impact on the month´s index (0.48 p.p.). The prices of diesel fuel (13.11%), ethanol (6.60%) and vehicular gas (2.28%) also rose. It is worth reminding that the average price of Petrobras´s gasoline to the distributors was adjusted by 18.77% and that of diesel fuel, by 24.93% on March 11.  Other highlights were airfare (9.43%), which had retreated in March (-7.55%), and voluntary insurance of vehicles (3.03%), whose prices rose for the eighth consecutive month, accumulating a rise of 23.46% in the last 12 months.

Still in Transportation, the rise in taxi (4.36%) was due to the adjustment of 41.51% in São Paulo (17.77%), in force since April 2, and of 14.10% in Fortaleza (1.02%), since April 12. In Rio de Janeiro, the price of subway fare rose 12.07% on April 2, resulting in a rise of 5,17% in the area and of 1.66% in the national aggregate of the sub-item. Urban bus fare (0.75%) was also adjusted in Curitiba (10.44%) by 22.23% since March 1st, in Belém (6.67%) by 11.11% since March 28 and in Recife (0.24%) by 9.33% since February 13.

The second highest change among the groups surveyed came from Food and beverages (2.25%), leveraged by the rise in food for consumption at home (3.00%). Tomatoes (26.17%) and long-life milk (12.21%) stood out, jointly contributing with 0.16 p.p. to the month´s result. Other important products in the consumption basket of Brazilians like carrots (15.02%), soybean oil (11.47%), potatoes (9.86%) and French bread (4.36%) also rose significantly.

Food away from home (0.28%) decelerated in relation to March (0.52%). While meals changed from 0.25% in March to 0.45% in April, snacks took a reverse movement, changing from 0.92% to 0.07%.

In Housing (1.73%), the highest change (8.09%) and the biggest impact (0.11 p.p.) came from bottled gas with the adjustment of 16.06% in the average sale price of GLP to the distributors, applied since March 11. Piped gas (3.31%) also rose as a consequence of the adjustments of 7.72% in Rio de Janeiro (7.47%), in force since March 16, and of 25.90% in Curitiba (8.82%), in force since February 25. The second biggest contribution in this group (0.09 p.p.) came from electricity (1.92%), which changed from -1.05% in Recife up to 11.25% in Rio de Janeiro, where the two concessionaires surveyed adjusted it by 15.58% and 17.30% since March 15.

All Wearing apparel items (1.97%) rose in April, including jewels (0.61%), whose prices had dropped in March (-0.53%). The biggest contribution came from women’s wearing apparel, which rose 2.70% and impacted 0.03 p.p. on the April´s IPCA-15.

In the group of Health and personal care (0.47%), the biggest impact (0.10 p.p.) came from pharmaceuticals (3.37%), after the authorization of the adjustment up to 10.89% in the price of medicines since April 1st. The deceleration of this group in the comparison with the previous month (1.30%) was due, above all, to the items of personal hygiene (-0.87%), which had risen 3.98% in March.

All the areas surveyed recorded increases in April. The biggest change was registered in Curitiba (2.23%), influenced by the rise of 10.25% in the prices of gasoline.  The lowest result was recorded in Salvador (0.97%), where personal hygiene products dropped 1.46% and airfare, 8.14%.

In order to estimate the index of the month, the prices collected from March 17 to April 13, 2022 (reference) were compared with the prices in force from February 12 to March 16, 2022 (base).  The indicator refers to households with monthly income of 1 to 40 minimum wages and it encompasses the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador, Curitiba, besides Brasília and the municipality of Goiânia.

The methodology is the same as the one used for the IPCA; the difference lies in the period of price collection and in the geographic coverage.