News
April CPI rises 2.09%
By ECCT staff writers
Taiwan’s official Consumer Price Index (CPI) in April 2021 increased by 2.09% compared with the same month of 2020. According to a news release by the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), the rise was main attributed to the increase in fuels and lubricants, up 47.95% due to a relatively lower comparison base, while the index for transportation fees rose 14.75% due to the increase in airfares, and indices for eggs and vegetables also rose 5.52% and 4.95%, respectively. However, the index for fruits fell 5.43%, partly offsetting the increase. The core CPI increased 1.35%.
For the first four months of 2021, the CPI increased 1.13% over the same period of previous year. Indices for commodity and service moved up 1.00% and 1.22%, respectively. The core CPI increased 1.01%.
In terms of wholesale prices, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) increased 9.62% in April compared with the same month of 2020, given the rise in the indices for petroleum and coal products, as well as quarrying and mining products, which rose 89.50% and 57.21%, respectively. The index for chemical material, other chemical products and pharmaceuticals also rose 33.86%. Moreover, the index for basic metals rose 28.50%. However, the New Taiwan dollar appreciated 6.37% against the US dollar, partly offsetting the increase. The price index for domestic sales excluding imports (DPI) increased 13.23%, The import price index (IPI) and export price index (EPI) also rose 11.97% and 5.13%, respectively. For the first four months of 2021, the WPI increased 3.04% over the same period the previous year. The DPI, IPI, and EPI also rose 6.42%, 3.27%, and 0.38%, respectively.
