People shop at a supermarket in Taipei’s Daan District yesterday. Photo: CNA

ON TARGET: Increases in consumer good prices stayed below the 2 percent mark, while the pork market stabilized following turbulence from a swine flu outbreak

By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

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Taiwan’s consumer price index （CPI） rose 1.48 percent year-on-year last month, marking the sixth consecutive month that inflation has remained below the central bank’s 2 percent target, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics （DGBAS） reported yesterday.

However, the pace of increase was slightly faster than September, mainly due to higher recreational service costs during the holiday weekends, the DGBAS said.

Pork prices surged 9.07 percent from a year earlier — the sharpest rise in 20 months — although the impact of the recent African swine fever outbreak has yet to be fully reflected, DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung （曹志弘） said.

“The government has stepped in to stabilize the market so that pork prices would remain stable this month,” Tsao said.

Tsao said that sufficient stocks of chilled and frozen pork cover at least a month of consumption, helping to keep prices steady. Wholesale pork prices have begun to retreat as the supply of fresh pork returned to normal following the lifting of slaughterhouse bans.

Core CPI, which excludes volatile items such as fruit, vegetables and energy to better track long-term price movements, increased 1.84 percent — the highest annual increase in nine months — but has stayed below the 2 percent threshold for 18 consecutive months, signaling overall price stability, the DGBAS said.

“If the weather remains stable, CPI growth this month should be similar to or lower than October’s level,” Tsao said.

Among the CPI’s seven major categories, miscellaneous items posted the largest annual increase of 3.18 percent, led by a 10.65 percent rise in personal accessories such as gold and jewelry and a 2.41 percent increase in personal care service fees. Food prices rose 2.02 percent, buoyed by a 5.43 percent increase in meat prices, although lower vegetable and fruit prices offset some of the gains.

Housing costs increased 2 percent, driven primarily by higher rent, household management fees and electricity bills.

Education and recreation expenses rose 1.44 percent, as extended holidays in October pushed up prices for tour packages and hotel accommodations, alongside a 2.48 percent increase in tutoring and learning fees.

In contrast, the producer price index （PPI） last month fell 3.5 percent from a year earlier, mainly due to lower prices for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, basic metals, computers and optical products, the DGBAS said.

For the first 10 months of the year, the CPI grew 1.74 percent, while the PPI declined 1.71 percent from a year earlier, it said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES

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