Qatar consumer price index up 0.2% in May

Qatar Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of May, 2012 was 110.1, showing a slight increase of 0.2% when compared to the CPI of April 2012, but a 1.1% increase when compared to the CPI of May, 2011, Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) said on Wednesday. A comparison with the CPI of April 2012, displayed increases at the overall level in the sub-groups: ‘‘Furniture, Textiles& Home Appliance\" 1.1%, \"Entertainment, Recreation & Culture\", 1.0 %, and Transport & Communications, 0.8%. The index for Food and Beverages was up by 0.1%. On the other hand, there was a decline in the following groups: s \"Miscellaneous Goods and Services\", 0.6%; \"Rent, Fuel and Energy\" 0.2%, and Garments and Footwear, 0.1%. No change in \"Medical care and Medical Services\". A year-on-year comparison, showed increases of 1.1% when comparing the CPI of May 2012 with that of May 2011. There were increases in all the major groups, with the exception of \"Rent, Fuel and Energy\", which registered a drop of 6.0%. The highest increases were recorded in the group \"Entertainment, Recreation & Culture\", 7.3%; followed by Furniture, Textiles, and Home Appliances\", 6.2%; \"Miscellaneous. Goods and Services\", 4.9%; and \"Food and Beverages\" , 3.7%. Increases in the remaining groups were of the order of 1.6% in \"Medical Care and Medical Services\", 1.7% in \"Transport and Communications\", and 1.8% in \"Garments &Footwear\". A CPI exclusive of the Rent, Fuel and Energy group has also been calculated. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index reached 122.7, showing an increase of 0.5% compared to the CPI of April 2012, and an increase of 3.9 % when compared to the month of May 2011.