Ho Chi Minh City: CPI down 0.33% in March

Three out of 11 groups of goods and services saw price increases in March including traffic, up 2.04%; education, up 0.004%; and culture, entertainment and tourism services, up 0.4%.

Meanwhile, the remaining groups all decreased compared to the previous month, with the highest drop in restaurants and catering services (down 1.46%).

The food group decreased 2.41% over the previous month; of which, the highest decrease was in fresh, dried and processed vegetables (down 4.76%); cattle meat (down 3.47%); poultry meat (down 2.64%). The main reason for the sharp drop in food groups is that consumption demand of returned to normal levels after the Lunar New Year holiday.

According to the city’s Statistics Office, the 2.04% increase in traffic is mainly attributed to the rise in petrol prices on February 12 and February 25.

The prices of housing, electricity, water, fuel and construction materials fell by 0.09% over the previous month due to new, lower prices for electricity, domestic water and house rental.

In March, the price of gold decreased 1.79% month-on-month in February, while the price of the US dollar picked up by 0.11%.