According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in March 2019 decreased by 0.21% against that of the previous month, increased by 0.69% in comparison with that of December 2018. CPI for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 2.63% as compared to that of the same period of 2018.
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Specifically, the prices of seven out of the eleven groups of commodities decreased. The price index of the group of food and catering services registered the deepest decrease of 1.42%; followed by the price index of the groups of garment, footwear and hat decreased by 0.17%; the price index of the culture, entertainment and tourism group decreased by 0.09%; the price index of the group of beverage and cigarette was down by 0.08%; The price index of the group of postal services & telecommunication was down by 0.07%; the price index of other commodities and services decreased by 0.04% while the price index of the group of household appliances and goods was slightly down by 0.03%.
The price indices of the remaining four groups of traffic, housing and construction materials, medicine and healthcare, and education increased by 2.22%, 0.78%, 0.03%, and 0.01% respectively.
The core inflation in March 2019 increased by 0.06% as compared to that of the previous month, and increased by 1.84% over the same period of 2018. The average core inflation in the first quarter of 2019 rose by 1.83% as compared to that of the same period of 2018.
The gold price index of March 2019 was down by 0.49% as compared to the previous month, and rose by 3.3% in comparison with that of December 2018. The USD index appreciated by 0.05% against that of February 2019, and depreciated by 0.44% as compared to that of December 2018.
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