Balearics was the only region where prices fell in August

Joan Collins THE Retail Price Index (RPI) fell by one tenth of a percentage point in the Balearics in August, in comparison with August last year. This reduces the interannual inflation (calculated during the last 12 months) to 3.7 percent, which is the same as the national average and two tenths of a percentage point less than July, according to figures made public yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The Balearics were the only autonomous region where prices fell in August, while they rose by two tenths of a percentage point throughout the whole of Spain. Asturias, Aragon, Castilla and Leon, and La Rioja were the regions which led the rises in prices (0.3 percent in all of them). The fall in prices in the Balearics was especially due to the fall of 3.9 percent in the price clothes and shoes. This was because of the Summer sales, although household goods also fell by 0.2 percent, alcoholic drinks and tobacco by 0.2 percent, medicines by 0.1 percent, and “other products” by 0.2 percent. On the other hand, there was a big rise in leisure and culture (0.9 percent) and in the hotel, cafe and restaurant sector (0.6 percent). There were, however, more moderate rises in transport (0.3 percent) and food and non alcoholic drinks (0.3 percent). In interannual terms, the highest rises in prices on the islands have been in housing (5.8 percent), food and non alcoholic drinks (5.1 percent), transport (5.0 percent), and hotels, cafes and restaurants (4.1 percent). while the only fall in prices was in communications (0.7 percent less). During the first eight months of this year, prices rose by 2.4 percent in comparison with the same period last year. The highest rises were in transport (6.4 percent), hotels, cafes and restaurants (5.1 percent) and in housing (4.8 percent). However, there was a sharp fall in clothes and shoes (9.8 percent less) and in communications (0.5 percent less).