Qatar Consumer Price Index Remains Stable in November

Doha, December 21 (QNA) - The Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November 2013, saying that the CPI of November, 2013, remains unchanged at the previous month's level (CPI of October 2013) of 115.5. However, it shows an increase of 2.8% when compared to the CPI of November, 2012. Month-on-Month comparison of CPI of November, 2013 with that of the previous month (CPI of October, 2013) by major groups: Price declines have been noticed in the groups of "Food, beverages, and tobacco" by 0.7%; "Miscellaneous goods & services" by 0.4%; and the groups of "Furniture, Textiles & Home Appliances", "Transport and communications","Entertainment, Recreation and Culture", each by 0.2%. However the index of "Rent, Fuel, and Energy ", group shows an increase by 0.7% The year-on-year comparison, of CPI of November 2013 with that of November 2012, shows an increase of 2.8% at the overall level. Price increases have been registered in most of the groups: "Rent, Fuel and Energy": 5.6%, "Entertainment, recreation and culture": 4.4%, "Furniture, Textiles & Home Appliances": 4.2%, "Food, Beverages & tobacco": 2.6%, and "Medical Care and Medical Services": 2.1%. However prices of "Miscellaneous goods & services" show decrease of 5.0%. A CPI exclusive of "Rent, Fuel and Energy" group has also been calculated. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index have reached 126.7, showing a decrease of 0.3% compared to the CPI of October 2013, and an increase of 1.8% when compared to the month of November 2012. (QNA)