20/04/2013 00:00
TW
0

THE Consumer Price Index (IPC) rose by 0.5 percent in the Balearics in March in comparison with February, while the interannual figure (the last 12 months) was 2.4 percent, according to figures made public yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The increase in prices in the Balearics was three tenths of a percentage point lower than the national level, where the IPC rose by 0.8 percent last month.

The Balearics was the region where prices rose least last month, in comparison with Navarra (1.3 percent) and Melilla (1.1 percent), which recorded the highest rises.

There was a decrease of four percent in the price of medicines in the Balearics.
Prices also fell, although not so much, in the leisure and culture sectors (0.3 percent).
The main increase in Balearic prices came from clothes and shoes (two percent), transport (1.5 percent), communications (1.2 percent), food and non alcoholic drinks (0.5 percent) and hotels, cafes and restaurants (0.4 percent).

Throughout the country, the increase of 0.8 percent in monthly inflation in March was mainly due to the increase of 3.4 percent in clothing and shoes, which recovered their prices due to the start of the Spring/Summer season.

The price of transport also increased by 1.5 percent due to the rise in the price of fuel and oil (3.3 percent).
The price of food and non alcoholic drinks increased by 0.4 percent due to fish and shellfish rising in price by 0.6 percent, and poultry by 1.7 percent.

At the other end of the scale, there was a decrease of 3.8 percent in the price of medicines, which contributed to the 10.7 percent decrease in all pharmaceutical products.

Inflation in March increased in all regions, but the highest increases were in Navarra (1.3 percent), Melilla (1.1 percent) and Ceuta (1 percent).

LOWEST INCREASE
The Balearics, with a monthly rise of 0.5 percent, and La Rioja, with an increase of 0.6 percent, were the regions which had the lowest increase.
In interannual terms, the greatest increase, with a figure of 2.9 percent, was in Melilla, followed by Murcia with 2.8 percent, Cataluña and Aragon with 2.7 percent and Madrid and La Rioja with 2.6 percent.

Equalling the national average of 2.5 percent were Andalucia and Castilla and Leon.
Under the national average were the Canary Islands with 1.7 percent, Ceuta with 2 percent, Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha and Galicia with 2.1 percent, and the Balearics, Valencia and the Basque region with 2.4 percent.