Press release No.089 / 2010-03-10

Consumer prices in February 2010: +0.6% on February 2009

Opposing price trends for energy products

WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the consumer price index for Germany in February 2010 rose 0.6% on February 2009. In January 2010 the inflation rate was 0.8%. Hence the rate of price increase was down in February. Compared with January 2010, the consumer price index was up by 0.4%. The estimate for February 2010 was thus revised upwards from +0.4% to +0.6% (in January 2010 from +0.2% to +0.4%).

Prices of energy as a whole remained nearly unchanged from a year earlier (+0.1%). However, mineral oil product prices rose markedly on a year earlier (+11.1%; of which heating oil: +13.8%; motor fuels: +10.5%) and electricity prices, too, were up from the same month of the previous year (+3.4%). At the same time, however, gas prices (−19.6%) as well as charges for central and remote heating (−12.9%) decreased markedly. Altogether, the opposing year-on-year price trends observed for energy products nearly offset each other: Not considering the price development for energy, the inflation rate in February would have been 0.6%, too.

In February 2010 food prices were altogether 1.1% below the level of a year earlier although prices have been rising since November 2009. Prices were down especially for vegetables (−4.0%; including cucumbers: −30.0%; potatoes: −14.2%) and dairy products (−3.3%; including sliced cheese: −7.4%; hard cheese: −6.9%; UHT milk: −3.8%). Price increases were however recorded especially for fish (+4.4%; including fresh fish fillet and other fresh fish: +5.5% each; smoked fish: +4.9%) as well as for oils and fats (+3.5%; including butter: +13.9%). What should also be mentioned is the considerable decrease in sugar prices (−12.2% in February 2010 on February 2009), which had been in the two-digit range already since November 2009.

The price development for consumer durables in February 2010 remained favourable from the consumers’ point of view (−0.5% on February 2009). Particularly consumer-friendly price trends were observed for some products of consumer electronics (for example, TV sets: −22.7%), for information processing equipment (personal computers: −14.5%; notebooks: −12.2%) as well as for photographic and cinematographic equipment (digital cameras: −9.2%).

Year-on-year price increases worth mentioning were recorded, however, for tobacco (+5.4%) as well as for newspapers and periodicals (+3.9%).

Altogether, prices of goods were up 0.3% compared with the same month of the previous year. The increase in prices of services (+0.8%) was markedly larger (including net rents exclusive of heating expenses: +1.0%).

Change in February 2010 on January 2010

Compared with January 2010, the consumer price index was up 0.4%. Among seasonal services, price rises were observed especially for package holidays (+10.1%). Among seasonal goods, prices were up in February 2010 among other things for vegetables (+5.8%; including lettuce and iceberg salad: +25.4%; pepper: +13.0%) as well as for clothing and footwear (+2.4%; of which clothing: +2.8%; footwear: +0.6%) as compared with the previous month.

For energy, a price decrease (−0.8%) was observed in February 2010 on January 2010. In a month-on-month comparison, especially the prices of mineral oil products were down (−1.9%; of which heating oil: −2.1% and motor fuels: −1.8%). Hence the ups and downs in the price development observed in the last few months continued.

Food prices in February 2010 rose just slightly (+0.3%) on January 2010. The price increase for vegetables was contrasted by price decreases especially for oils and fats (−4.4%; including butter: −9.6%) as well as for fruit (−3.8%; including grapes: −17.8%).

The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) for Germany, which is calculated for European purposes, rose 0.5% in February 2010 on February 2009. Compared with January 2010, the index was up 0.4%. The HICP estimate of 26 February 2010 was thus slightly revised upwards (February 2010: +0.3%, January 2010: +0.2%).

Further information on consumer price statistics is provided by Fachserie 17, Reihe 7, which is available free of charge via the publications of the Federal Statistical Office. Detailed information and long time series on consumer price statistics can also be retrieved free of charge from the database Genesis Online.

Consumer price index for Germany
Overall index / product groups ________ Overall index / subindex	Weighting	Index 2005 = 100	Change on the same period a year earlier	Change on the preceding month
	in per million	Index 2005 = 100	in per cent
Overall index in February 2010	1,000.00	107.5	0.6	0.4
Food and non-alcoholic-beverages	103.55	111.5	–1.2	0.2
Food	89.99	112.0	–1.1	0.3
Milk, cheese and eggs	14.44	111.4	–2.6	0.0
Oils and fats	2.55	118.1	3.5	–4.4
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco	38.99	113.1	3.5	0.1
tobacco	22.43	116.7	5.4	0.0
Clothing and footwear	48.88	102.8	0.6	2.4
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels	308.00	109.1	–0.3	0.0
Net rent exclusive of heating expenses	203.30	105.3	1.0	0.1
Household energy	59.82	121.9	–4.7	–0.3
Electricity	24.61	128.8	3.4	0.2
Gas	12.85	118.0	–19.6	0.2
Heating oil	9.21	109.2	13.8	–2.1
Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house	55.87	104.3	0.7	0.0
Health	40.27	104.3	0.8	0.0
Transport	131.90	110.3	3.4	–0.5
Motor fuels	35.37	110.1	10.5	–1.8
Supergrade petrol	19.29	110.5	11.6	–1.4
Diesel oil	8.15	106.7	6.4	–3.1
Communication	31.00	88.6	–1.8	–0.2
Recreation and culture	115.68	101.8	0.1	2.4
Package holidays	25.93	110.7	–1.2	10.1
Education	7.40	131.6	–1.3	0.3
Restaurants and hotels	43.99	109.1	0.8	0.6
Miscellaneous goods and services	74.47	107.6	0.7	–0.5
Overall index
Excluding heating oil and motor fuels	955.42	107.4	0.1	0.5
Excluding household energy	940.18	106.6	0.9	0.5
Excluding energy (household energy and motor fuels)	904.81	106.4	0.6	0.5
Goods, total	493.00	108.2	0.3	0.2
Non-durable consumer goods	305.11	113.2	0.4	–0.1
Consumer goods with a medium-term life	95.24	103.0	0.4	1.2
Durable consumer goods	92.65	97.2	–0.5	–0.1
Services	507.00	106.8	0.8	0.6

Consumer price index for Germany
Overall index ________ Year / Month		Index 2005 = 100	Change on the same period a year earlier	Change on the preceding month
Overall index ________ Year / Month		Index 2005 = 100	in per cent
2008 Annual average		106.6	2.6	–
2009 Annual average		107.0	0.4	–
2009	February	106.9	1.0	0.6
	March	106.8	0.5	–0.1
	April	106.8	0.7	0.0
	May	106.7	0.0	–0.1
	June	107.1	0.1	0.4
	July	107.1	–0.5	0.0
	August	107.3	0.0	0.2
	September	106.9	–0.3	–0.4
	October	107.0	0.0	0.1
	November	106.9	0.4	–0.1
	December	107.8	0.9	0.8
2010	January	107.1	0.8	–0.6
2010	February	107.5	0.6	0.4

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