Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (101.97) for September 2020 went down by 0.40% year-on-year, the first decrease since December 2009. The drop in the Composite CPI in September was attributed to lower charges for package tours, telecommunication services and electricity, as well as reduced prices of gasoline, clothing and footwear.

Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Communication and Recreation & Culture declined by 11.31% and 10.19% year-on-year respectively, whereas the index of Health increased by 3.31%. The CPI-A (102.10) and CPI-B (101.78) saw respective decreases of 0.27% and 0.64% year-on-year.

The Composite CPI for September 2020 dropped by 0.23% month-to-month. Price indices of Transport and Recreation & Culture slipped by 2.25% and 1.15% respectively on account of lower airfares and receding charges for package tours. Despite an increase in vegetable and fruit prices, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages went down by 0.19% owing to promotional offers of some eateries that lowered the charges for eating out. On the other hand, higher charges for tutorial classes, hairdressing and beauty services brought up the price index of Miscellaneous Goods and Services by 0.36%. The CPI-A and CPI-B fell by 0.23% and 0.25% month-to-month respectively.

For the 12 months ended September 2020, the average Composite CPI rose by 1.70% from the previous period (October 2018 to September 2019), with notable growth in the price indices of Education (+4.75%), Health (+4.51%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.50%). The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 1.76% and 1.74% respectively over the previous period.

The average Composite CPI for the third quarter of 2020 (102.11) slipped by 0.03% year-on-year. The average CPI-A (102.23) grew by 0.10% year-on-year while the average CPI-B (101.93) shrank by 0.32%. The average Composite CPI for the first nine months of 2020 increased by 1.37% year-on-year. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 1.47% and 1.21% respectively.

The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households in Macao. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP12,000 to MOP35,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP36,000 to MOP62,999.