4. The year-on-year growth of consumer prices expanded.

In February this year, the consumer price index went up by 2.7 percent year-on-year (it was 1.6 percent decline in February 2009), or 1.2 percentage points higher than that in the previous month. Of this total, the growth in cities was up by 2.6 percent and that in rural areas was 2.9 percent. The food price went up by 6.2 percent while the non-food price rose by 1.0 percent. The prices of consumer goods went up by 3.0 percent, and the prices of services grew by 1.7 percent. In the first two months, the year-on-year change of consumer price was up 2.1 percent (it was 0.3 percent decline in the same period last year). Grouped by commodity categories, in February, of the eight categories of commodities, six of them experienced prices rise and the rest two witnessed prices decline. Of which, prices for food up by 6.2 percent, prices for tobacco, liquor and articles up by 1.6 percent, price for clothing down by 1.3 percent, prices for household facilities, articles and maintenance services down by 0.8 percent, health care and personal articles up by 2.4 percent; transportation and communication rose by 0.1 percent, recreation, education, culture articles and services up by 0.8 percent, and housing up by 3.0 percent.

In February this year, month-on-month change of consumer price was up by 1.2 percent. Of which, price in cities went up by 1.2 percent and that in rural areas went up by 1.1 percent. The food price grew by 3.3 percent while the non-food price up by 0.1 percent. The price of consumer goods grew by 1.2 percent, and the price of services up by 1.0 percent. Grouped by commodity categories, in February, prices for food up by 3.3 percent month-on-month, prices for tobacco, liquor and articles up by 0.1 percent, price for clothing down by 1.5 percent, prices for household facilities, articles and maintenance services up by 0.1 percent, health care and personal articles up by 0.3 percent; transportation and communication up by 0.4 percent, recreation, education, culture articles and services rose by 1.0 percent, and housing up by 0.1 percent.

5. The year-on-year change of producers’ prices for manufactured goods expanded to some extent.

In February, the producers’ prices for manufactured goods went up by 5.4 percent year-on-year (it was 4.5 percent decline in February 2009), or 1.1 percentage points higher than that in the previous month. In the first two months of this year, the year-on-year change of the producers’ price for manufactured good was up by 4.9 percent (it was down by 3.9 percent the same period a year ago). In February, the producers’ prices for means of production went up by 6.8 percent year-on-year, of which that for mining and quarrying industry up by 37.6 percent, raw materials industry up 10.1 percent and processing industry up 1.3 percent. The producers’ prices for means of livelihood increased by 1.0 percent, of which, the food prices up by 2.0 percent, clothing up by 2.6 percent, articles for daily use up by 0.6 percent and durable consumer goods down by 1.4 percent. In February, the month-on-month change of the producers’ prices for manufactured good went up by 0.4 percent.

In February, the purchaser’s prices for raw materials, fuel and power went up by 10.3 percent year-on-year (it was down by 7.1 percent in February 2009), or 2.3 percentage points higher over that in the previous month. In the first two months of this year, the purchaser’s prices for raw materials, fuel and power increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year (it was down by 6.2 percent in the same period of last year). In February, the year-on-year change of prices for nonferrous metals and wire went up by 30.1 percent, fuel and power up by 25.4 percent, 5.4 percent growth for raw chemical materials and 2.3 percent drop for ferrous metals.

(National Bureau of Statistics March 11, 2010)