The consumer price index (CPI) in April inched up 0.07 per cent from the previous month and 4.4 per cent year on year, mainly fueled by a petroleum price hike, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on April 29.

 

Among the 11 main groups of consumer goods and services, eight saw price hikes compared to the previous month while the three remaining groups saw price decline.

 

The GSO report shows domestic petrol prices increased by 4.78 per cent and diesel prices rose by 2.01 per cent, prompting transportation and related service costs to expand 1.95 per cent. Notably, aviation transportation costs soared by 10.42 per cent due to high demand for travel during the five-day holiday period, starting from April 27.

 

Meanwhile, drugs and medical services edged up by 0.92 per cent due to seasonal changes and the emergence of disease-causing viruses.

 

In addition, other commodities and services seeing price hikes included beverages and tobaccos (up 0.09 per cent); garments, headwear and footware (0.12 per cent); housing and building materials (0.21 per cent); household appliances (0.11 per cent); culture-entertainment-tourism services (0.03 per cent); and other goods and services (0.27 per cent).

 

The three groups of goods and services with price fall were food and catering services (down 0.13 per cent); postal and telecommunications services (0.17 per cent); and education (2.93 per cent).

 

In April, domestic gold prices fluctuated in the same direction as world gold prices. The domestic gold price index in April increased by 6.95 per cent compared to the previous month; an increase of 17.01 per cent compared to December 2023; increased 28.62 per cent over the same period last year. The average increase in the first four months of 2024 is 20.75 per cent.

 

The GSO said the core inflation in April soared by 0.17 per cent over the previous month and by 2.79 per cent over the same period last year. On average, January-April core inflation grew by 2.81 per cent over the same period last year, lower than the CPI average of 3.93 per cent. – VNS