last january inflation was 0.63%, lower than in December 2022, when it rose 0.96%; while year-on-year inflation dropped from 7.83% last year to just 7.24% in January, 59 basis points less than in 2022, reported yesterday the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.
While core inflation registered a monthly variation of 0.69% in January 2023, standing at 6.60% in that period.
This indicator makes it possible to extract clearer signals for the conduct of monetary policy because it excludes items with great variability in their prices such as some foods, as well as fuels, services with regulated prices such as electricity tariff, transportation and alcoholic beverages and tobacco.
The group that registered the greatest increase was food and non-alcoholic beverages, which varied by 1.32% and those with the least variation in their consumer price indices (IPV) They were restaurants and hotels, at 1.21%; miscellaneous goods and services at 0.80%; housing in 0.30%, transportation 0.16%, education 0.99% and health in 0.59 percent.
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He added that the inflation of the food and non-alcoholic beverages group is explained by the price increases in fresh chicken, which rose 4.64%, green bananas 3.26%, eggs 4.52%, green bananas 6.96%, sour lemons 40.08%, potatoes 6.01 %, pork 1.97%, chicken broth 2.15%, ice cream 10.14%.
Rice registered an increase of 0.33%, pan sobado 1.16%, ripe plantains 2.70%, tomato paste 1.54%, cassava 1.13% and pan de agua 1.16%.
The price of onions fell -5.32%, tomatoes -7.57% and garlic -3.12%.
“The increase in the prices of some foods with a high weight in the family basket, such as plantains, chicken and potatoes, has been less than the previous month, so the CPI variation of 1.32% of the referred group in the month of January it was lower than the rate of 2.09% registered in December 2022, evidencing a slowdown”, explains the BCRD.
Attributes the 0.80% increase in the CPI in the miscellaneous goods and services group, to increases in the prices of services and personal care items, which varied 0.84% and 0.91%, respectively; while the 0.30% increase in housing is attributed to the 0.44% rise in rental maintenance services at 0.82%, common expenses in co-ownership 1.30% and paintings at 0.99%.
The IPV of the Education group reflected a variation of 0.99% in January 2023, essentially due to the 2.00% increase in the prices of university education; the Health group varied 0.59%, due to increases in antihypertensives 0.54%, antidiarrheals 7.71%, vitamins 1.57%.
