Clothing and footwear price index up by 4.15%

The retail price index went up by 0.88% in October, the National Statistics Office said. This primarily reflected an increase of 4.15% in the Clothing and Footwear Index, mainly due to seasonally higher prices of garments. 

An upward movement in the prices of vegetables, fruit and fish caused the Food Index to go up by 2.70%.  Higher prices for non-durable household goods underlay an increase of 0.74% in the Other Goods and Services Index.

The Household Equipment and House Maintenance Cost Index edged up by 0.58% mainly on account of a rise in the prices of household utensils.  Higher school and tuition fees caused the Recreation and Culture Index to go up by 0.36%.  An increase of 0.13% was recorded in the Beverages and Tobacco Index, mainly due to price rises in non-alcoholic beverages.

Seasonally lower airfares resulted in the decrease of Transport and Communication Index 0.26%.  A drop of 0.22% was registered in the Housing Index reflecting a decrease in the price of materials used for house maintenance. 

The Water, Electricity, Gas and Fuels Index went down by 0.21% due to lower gas prices.

In October, the twelve-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 2.82%, whereas the annual rate stood at 2.91%.