Qatar consumer price index up 0.2% in May

Qatar Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of May, 2012 was 110.1, showing a slight increase of 0.2% when compared to the CPI of April 2012, but a 1.1% increase when compared to the CPI of May, 2011, Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) said on Wednesday. A comparison with the CPI of April 2012, displayed increases at the overall level in the sub-groups: ‘‘Furniture, Textiles& Home Appliance" 1.1%, "Entertainment, Recreation & Culture", 1.0 %, and Transport & Communications, 0.8%. The index for Food and Beverages was up by 0.1%. On the other hand, there was a decline in the following groups: s "Miscellaneous Goods and Services", 0.6%; "Rent, Fuel and Energy" 0.2%, and Garments and Footwear, 0.1%. No change in "Medical care and Medical Services". A year-on-year comparison, showed increases of 1.1% when comparing the CPI of May 2012 with that of May 2011. There were increases in all the major groups, with the exception of "Rent, Fuel and Energy", which registered a drop of 6.0%. The highest increases were recorded in the group "Entertainment, Recreation & Culture", 7.3%; followed by Furniture, Textiles, and Home Appliances", 6.2%; "Miscellaneous. Goods and Services", 4.9%; and "Food and Beverages" , 3.7%. Increases in the remaining groups were of the order of 1.6% in "Medical Care and Medical Services", 1.7% in "Transport and Communications", and 1.8% in "Garments &Footwear". A CPI exclusive of the Rent, Fuel and Energy group has also been calculated. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index reached 122.7, showing an increase of 0.5% compared to the CPI of April 2012, and an increase of 3.9 % when compared to the month of May 2011.