During January, the Consumer Price Index registered a 1.58% year-on-year variation, a rise that was influenced by the increase in the prices of Rent and housing services, and Education.
Out of the 315 goods and services that make up the consumer basket, 48% increased in price, 44% decreased in price and 8% showed no variation, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Census.
Up to January this year, the FAO food price index rose by 11% compared to the same month in 2019, explained by the increase in the prices of meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.
From FAO's monthly report:
» The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 182.5 points in January 2020, up 1.3 points (0.7 percent) from December 2019 and 11.3 percent higher than the same month last year.
Arguing that for this year inflation is expected to remain around the central value of the target range, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic decided to set the Monetary Policy Rate at 4.5%.
From the BCRD's press release:
January 31st, 2020. In its monetary policy meeting of January 2020, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) decided to maintain its monetary policy rate at 4.50% per annum.
At the end of 2019, Panama reported a negative variation in the Consumer Price Index, a behavior that was determined partly by the prices of air passenger transport.
From the report of the General Comptroller of the Republic:
The groups that presented decreases in the National Urban CPI of December, with respect to November 2019 were: Transportation with 0.5%; Furniture, home articles and ordinary home maintenance, and Recreation and culture both with 0.4%; Alcoholic beverages and tobacco with 0.2%; Food and non-alcoholic beverages, and diverse goods and services both with 0.1%.
Price per gallon of regular gasoline: Costa Rica $4.07, Nicaragua $3.52, Honduras $3.45, El Salvador $3.04, Guatemala $3.02 and Panama, $2.83
From a statement by the Ministry of Economy of El Salvador:
The current reference prices for gasoline and diesel, show low prices at national level, due to the outcome of the conflict between the United States and Iran, where the Arab country attacked two military bases located in Iraqi territory.
In Guatemala, between January and December of last year the price of 16 gauge steel wire rose 16%, and that of structural galvanized steel sheet, die-cut, 26 gauge, was reduced by 5%.
The Price Index of Construction Materials -IPMC-, prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), measures the variations of the prices of the eighty-nine (89) materials and services that integrate the representative basket of inputs used in the construction activity, using as base month December 2018=100.
In November 2019, the Consumer Price Index in El Salvador reported a 0.12% monthly variation, explained in part by price increases in the alcoholic beverages and electricity, gas and other fuels divisions.
From the report of the General Directorate of Statistics and Census:
The behavior of the CPI with respect to October 2019, is mainly due to the increases of 0.33% in Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages and 0.39% in Transportation, with which the accumulated inflation for November 2019 is -0.11%, lower variation than the one registered in the same period of the previous year (0.91%).
At the end of last year, the Consumer Price Index in the country reported a 6.1% year-on-year variation, an inflationary rhythm that is higher than the 3.9% registered in December 2018.
After not publishing for several months the information on the behavior of prices in the country, the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) decided to report that in December 2019 the annual inflation was 6.1%.
At the end of last year, the sand yard in Panama grew 3% compared to December 2018, and the unplanned spaced timber foot grew 2%.
From the General Comptroller's report:
The average from January to December 2019, with respect to the same period in 2018, showed increases in the Indexes of the unit of the polarized box socket by 9.9%, of the No. 4 stone yard by 2.2%.
About 60% of the apartments in the district of Santa Ana, Costa Rica, have prices per square meter that range from US$1,500 to US$2,000.
An analysis of the real estate supply by area, prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, shows interesting results on the behavior and distribution of prices per square meter in the sector of Santa Ana, in the province of San José.
In Costa Rica, the price indexes of buildings and social interest housing registered in December of last year, year-on-year variations of -1.03% and -0.53%, respectively.
From the National Institute of Statistics and Census statement:
The construction price indexes based on February 2012 are a set of twenty statistical indicators, which measure the variation in the prices of materials used in the construction of different types of works.
Price per gallon of regular gasoline: Costa Rica $4.07, Nicaragua $3.52, Honduras $3.45, El Salvador $3.04, Guatemala $3.02 and Panama $2.83
From the Ministry of Economy of El Salvador's statement:
The current reference prices for gasoline and diesel present generalized increases, due to the recent geopolitical conflicts between the United States and Iran during the first weeks of January 2020, which is why the international prices of oil and derivatives increased by an average of 4%.
Food, beverages and tobacco were the products that boosted the 3.66% inflation rate reported at the end of last year.
The consumer price index (CPI) registered a 0.20% variation in December 2019 compared to November of the same year, reported the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD).
The official report states that "... Regarding annualized subjacent inflation, the institution indicates that it was 2.25%.
The variation in the price of some foods of agricultural origin, transport and health, determined the 4.08% year-on-year increase in the CPI reported in December last year.
In December 2019, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a 0.42% variation (0.19% in December 2018), reflecting the price increase in some foods of agricultural origin, transport and health.
As of December last year, the FAO food price index was up 13% over the same month in 2018, explained by rising prices of meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.
From the monthly report of the FAO:
» The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 181.7 points in December 2019, up 4.4 points (2.5 percent) from November, marking the third month of consecutive increase.