Bulgaria annual CPI records 0.6% deflation in October
Bulgaria’s annual consumer price index (CPI) remained unchanged at 0.6 per cent deflation in October 2016, despite a 0.2 per cent increase compared to September, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on November 14.
It was only the second time in the past 12 months that the CPI recorded monthly inflation, a period that also has seen five months of monthly deflation and five months of zero growth.
Food prices fell by 0.2 per cent in October and services prices were down 0.1 per cent, while non-food prices rose by one per cent compared to September. In annual terms, food prices were 0.3 per cent lower than in October 2015, while non-food prices were down 0.6 per cent and services prices shrank by 1.2 per cent.
The harmonised CPI figure, calculated by NSI for comparison with European Union data, recorded a decline of 0.1 per cent on a monthly basis, with the annual harmonised CPI staying in deflationary territory for the 39th consecutive month, having shrunk by one per cent compared to October 2015.
Food and beverage prices were 0.1 per cent up, on an annual basis, while the price of utilities and housing has decreased by 0.3 per cent and transportation costs were 3.9 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)
