Overall consumer prices rose 0.8% in February over a year earlier, after a 0.5% fall in January.

Analysed by sub-index and on a year-on-year comparison, the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) rose by 1.1%, 0.8% and 0.5%, reversing the corresponding falls of 0.2%, 0.5% and 1% the previous month.

The Census & Statistics Department said the renewed year-on-year increase in the Composite CPI was mainly attributable to the price of basic foodstuffs, cost of meals bought away from home and charges for package tours being higher than usual at around the Lunar New Year, which fell in February this year but in January last year.

Taking the two months together to remove the distortion caused by the difference in the Lunar New Year date, the Composite CPI rose 0.1% over a year earlier.

The CPI(A) and CPI(B) rose 0.4% and 0.2%. However, the CPI(C) was down 0.3%.

Food prices rise

Amongst the various CPI components, year-on-year increases in prices were recorded in February for food (excluding meals bought away from home) (4.9% in the Composite CPI and 5.1% in the CPI(A)), miscellaneous services (3.7% in both the Composite CPI and the CPI(A)), clothing and footwear (3.4% in the Composite CPI and 4.3% in the CPI(A)), electricity, gas and water (2% in the Composite CPI and 1.8% in the CPI(A)), miscellaneous goods (1.3% in the Composite CPI and 0.8% in the CPI(A)), transport (1.2% in the Composite CPI and 1.1% in the CPI(A)) and meals bought away from home (1.1% in the Composite CPI and 1.2% in the CPI(A)).

Year-on-year falls in prices were recorded for durable goods (-2.7% in the Composite CPI and -2.2% in the CPI(A)), housing (-2.6% in the Composite CPI and -2.2% in the CPI(A)), and alcohol and tobacco (-0.1% in both the Composite CPI and the CPI(A)).

The Government said the Composite CPI reverted to a small increase at 0.1% in the first two months as the seasonal effects caused by the timing of the Lunar New Year was neutralised.