Bulgaria annual CPI records 0.3% deflation in August
Bulgaria’s consumer price index (CPI) shrank by 0.3 per cent year-on-year in August 2016, while the monthly data showed no change compared to July, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on September 13.
August was the fifth time in the span of nine months that recorded flat CPI and the seventh consecutive month in which the annual index showed deflation.
Food prices fell by 0.2 per cent in August and non-food prices were down 0.1 per cent, while services prices were 0.2 per cent higher than in July. In annual terms, food prices were 1.1 per cent higher than in August 2015, while non-food prices were down 1.5 per cent and services prices shrank by 0.8 per cent.
The harmonised CPI figure, calculated by NSI for comparison with European Union data, recorded no change on a monthly basis, but the annual harmonised CPI remained in deflationary territory for the 37th consecutive month, having shrunk by 1.1 per cent compared to August 2015.
Food and beverage prices were 1.5 per cent up, on an annual basis, while the price of utilities and housing has decreased by 0.5 per cent and transportation costs were 7.1 per cent lower compared to a year earlier. The three categories account for about 47 per cent of the harmonised CPI basket.
(Photo: svilen001/sxc.hu)
