4.4% the Average Increase of the Inflation Rate for March 2018
The monthly report on inflation in Jordan issued by the Department of Statistics indicates that the Consumer Price Average (Inflation) reached 124.0 in March 2018 against 118.8 during March 2017 recorded an increase by 4.4%.The main commodities groups, which contributed to this increase, were “Transport” 8.7% representing 1.1 percentage point “Cereals and its Products” 22.5% representing 1.1 percentage points, “Tobacco and cigarettes” 14.4% representing 0.6 percentage points, “Rents” 2.9% representing 0.4 percentage point and “meat and poultry” 4.7% representing 0.4 percentage point . Meanwhile, the main commodities groups which witnessed a decrease in their prices were “Vegetables, Dried and Canned Legumes” 14.7%, “clothes” 1.9% , “shoes” 0.7% .
The Consumer Price Average for March 2018 has increased by 0.4% compared with the previous month (Feb) 2018.The main commodities groups which contributed to this increase were “meat and poultry” 3.2% representing 0.2 percentage point, “fruits and nuts” 6.0% representing 0.1 percentage point, “Vegetables, Dried and Canned Legumes” 2.3% representing 0.1 percentage points, “education ” 1.6% representing 0.1 percentage points and “housed maintenance” 1.0% representing 0.02% percentage points. Meanwhile, the main groups which witnessed a decrease in their prices were “clothes” 2.5%, “transport” 0.3%,“shoes” 1.9% and “diary and egg” 0.2%.
The report also shows that the Consumer Price Average for the first three months of 2018 has increased by 3.7% compared with the same period of 2017. The main commodities groups which contributed to this increase were “Transport” 8.8% representing 1.2 percentage points, “Cereals and their products” 15.5% representing 0.8 percentage points, “Tobacco and cigarettes” by 16.7% representing 0.7 percentage points ,“Rents” 2.9% representing 0.4 percentage points and “fuel and lighting” 5.5% representing 0.3 percentage points. Meanwhile, the main commodities groups which witnessed a decrease in their prices were Vegetables, Dried and Canned Legumes” 14.5% , “Yoghurt and its products and eggs” 2.0% , “clothes” 0.7% and “household utensils” 0.04%.
As for the core inflation of the consumer Price index for March 2018 (which is calculated after excluding the most fluctuating commodities’ prices of food, fuel , lighting and transport group) it has reached 127.9 against 124.7 recording an increase of 2.5% as compared with the same month of 2017.
