Gentle increase: The smaller year-on-year rise in the Composite CPI in November was mainly attributable to moderate increases in the prices of some basic foodstuffs items and jewellery, as well as in charges for package tours.

Overall consumer prices rose 1.7% in November over a year earlier, following a 1.8% rise in October.

The Census & Statistics Department said the smaller year-on-year rise in the Composite CPI in November was mainly attributable to moderated increases in the prices of some basic foodstuffs items and jewellery, as well as in charges for package tours.

Analysed by sub-index and on a year-on-year comparison, the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) rose 1.5%, 1.8% and 1.7% in November, less than the corresponding increases of 1.7%, 1.9% and 1.9% in October.

For the three-month period ended November, the average monthly rates of change in the seasonally adjusted Composite CPI, CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were all 0.2%, the same as those for the three-month period ended October.

Among the various CPI components, year-on-year rises in prices were recorded in November for electricity, gas and water (up 4.3%), housing (up 2.7%), miscellaneous goods (up 2.3%), transport (up 2%), food (excluding meals bought away from home) (up 1.7%), miscellaneous services (up 1.3%), meals bought away from home (up 1.1%), clothing and footwear (up 0.6%) and alcoholic drinks and tobacco (up 0.4%).

Durable goods see small dip in prices

Year-on-year falls in prices were recorded for durable goods (-2.2%).

The Census & Statistics Department said consumer price inflation remained benign in November. Although there was a progressive feed-through of the earlier rebound in private housing rentals, prices of non-housing items taken together showed only a modest increase.