In May the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices went up to 121.93 from 120.58 in April, the National Statistics Office said today.

In May, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices went up by 1.1 per cent over the previous month. This primarily reflected an increase of 4.6 per cent in the Restaurants and Hotels Index, mainly due to seasonally higher prices for accommodation services.

An increase of 2.8 per cent was recorded in the Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Index, mainly due to higher prices of cigarettes. The Transport Index registered an increase of 1.0 per cent on account of higher airfares.

Costlier package tours caused the Recreation and Culture Index to rise by 0.7 per cent. The Communication Index went up by 0.6 per cent as a result of higher-priced mobile phones. The Health Index edged up by 0.1 per cent due to higher fees for medical and paramedical services.

Lower prices of jewellery caused a decline of 0.3 per cent in the Miscellaneous Goods and Services Index. Cheaper utensils and tableware underlay a decrease of 0.2 per cent in the Furniture, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance of the House Index.

In May, the twelve-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 2.6 per cent and the annual rate stood at 0.8 per cent.

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