In September the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices increased to 105.81 from 105.28 in August, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.

In September, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices went up by 1.7 per cent over the previous month. This primarily reflected an increase of 9.9 per cent in the clothing and footwear index, mainly due to the introduction of the winter stock in the market. A 3.2 per cent increase was registered in the food and non-alcoholic beverages index, mainly on account of higher prices of fish, vegetables, bread, cheese and fruit.

The recreation and culture index went up by 0.5 per cent, mainly as a result of higher prices of stationery goods. Higher prices of beer were the main factor behind a 0.3 per cent rise in the alcoholic beverages and tobacco index. An increase of 0.1 per cent in the furniture, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house index, was due to a price rise in household textiles. The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index went up by 0.1 per cent due to an increase in the prices of materials for the maintenance and repair of dwellings.

During the month under review, the restaurants and hotels index decreased by 1.8 per cent mainly due to seasonal price reductions in accommodation services. A drop of 1.5 per cent was registered in the transport index, mainly on account of price decreases in air fares.

In September, the 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 0.4 per cent, whereas the annual rate stood at 0.9 per cent.