A few days ago, Tai’an Statistical Bureau released the city consumer price index (CPI) statistical data of June. According to the data, consumer goods market prices were stable since summer, and compared to the same month last year, CPI rose 1.6 percent, the lowest increase in the first half of this year.

CPI reflects the change of consumer spending on commodities and services and can be used to measure inflation. This year CPI went up moderately. Compared to last June, the commodity price index rose 2 percent The food and energy price index rose 0.3 percent and the non-food price index excluding energy rose 0.9 percent.

Among the eight categories of commodities that constitute CPI, prices dropped in two, prices rose in five, and in one, the category of articles for entertainment, education and culture, and services, prices evened out.

The two categories in which prices dropped are household appliances & maintenance services, a fall of 0.9 percent,,and transportation and communications, coming down 0.5 percent.

The five categories that saw price increases compared to the same term last year are: food; cigarettes, wine and appliances; clothing; medical care and personal use products; and housing, which rose 3 percent, 2.9 percent, 1.4 percent, 2.4 percent and 2 percent respectively.

In the food category, foul weather influenced the supply of vegetables and drove up their price in the first four months. But in June, vegetables prices decreased 10.3 percent compared to the same month the year before. Pork prices kept stable but medicines prices rose and fell largely.

And in the cigarettes, wine and appliances category, luxury white wine prices increased and influenced the category’s prices to rise 2.9 percent.

By Yu Meng and Liu Aizhang