Madrid/Oviedo (EFE).- The consumer price index (CPI) rose 6.1 percent in January in Asturias in the interannual rate, three tenths above the rise registered in December, according to data published this Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
This year-on-year increase occurred despite the fact that prices fell 0.2 percent in the monthly rate, and was largely due to higher fuel prices after the withdrawal of the subsidy and the rise in the prices of clothing and footwear .
In the interannual rate, the highest increase in Asturias corresponded to food and non-alcoholic beverages, 15.1 percent, followed by clothing and footwear, 10.1 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 8.3 percent, and household items, 8.2 percent.
In addition, the prices of hotels, cafes and restaurants increased by 6.6 percent; transport, which reflects the rise in fuels, 6.3 percent; leisure and culture and education, 2.7 percent in both cases; communications, 2.2 percent, and medicine, 0.1 percent.
The only group that became cheaper was housing, 7.8 percent, due to the drop in the price of electricity.
The CPI rises to 5.9% in Spain
In the country as a whole, inflation in Spain rose by 5.9% in the interannual rate in January, one tenth more than the data advanced by the INE on January 30 and two tenths more than in the previous month. due to the increase in the cost of gasoline and clothing and footwear.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages have moderated the rise of three tenths in the interannual rate, up to 15.4%, after the entry into force of the reduction or elimination of VAT on some foods, although they are still close to the historical maximum marked in December 2022 .
The clothing and footwear group has been the one that has contributed the most to the rise in the CPI, with a rate of 3.6%, since the prices of all its components fell less this month than in January 2022, followed by transport , which places its rate at 5.6%, due to the increase in the cost of fuels and lubricants.
A rise that occurs after the withdrawal of the temporary subsidy of 20 euro cents per liter of diesel or gasoline by the Government from January 1 of this year and that only remains for some professional sectors.
Contrast this increase with the lower price of other elements included in this group, such as combined passenger transport, which fell by 5.4%; metro passengers, 19.1%, and bus passengers, 19%.
The communications group also pushed inflation up in January, with a variation that stood at 2.3%, more than four points above that registered in December, due to the fact that telephone services rose more than in January 2022.
Among the groups with a negative influence, housing stands out, which fell by 8.4% -almost four points less-, mainly due to the 40.8% lower price of electricity, and leisure and culture, whose annual variation of 2 .5% is due to the drop in the prices of tourist packages, higher than a year ago.
Food moderates its rise but remains at maximums
The group of food and non-alcoholic beverages has moderated its increase by three tenths, up to 15.4%, after the entry into force of the reduction or elimination of VAT on some foods, although some products continue to present very significant interannual rate increases, such as sugar (52.1%), butter (38.2%), sauces and seasonings (33.9%) or whole milk (33.4%).
Food for which VAT was eliminated from January 1 have dropped to 4.2% in the case of fruit; 2.3% flour; 1.5% eggs; 1% potatoes; 0.7% cheese; and 0.2% for bread, while olive oil fell by 1.2% and pasta by 3.5%, products for which VAT was cut in half (from 10% to 5%).
Core inflation continues to rise
The INE maintains the annual variation rate of underlying inflation -index excluding unprocessed food and energy products-, at 7.5%, five tenths more than that registered in December and the highest since December 1986.
The difference of 1.6 points between the interannual rate of the core (7.5%) and the general CPI (5.9%) is the largest since May 2020, according to the INE.
In monthly rate, consumer prices fell by 0.2% in January compared to December. What rose the most was gasoline (12.7%), diesel (10.2%) and natural gas (7.2%), while electricity fell especially, 17.5%, and other articles of dress, 17.2%.
The estimated annual variation rate of the IPCA -the harmonized indicator- stands at 5.9%, four tenths above that registered the previous month, while the monthly rate fell by 0.4%.
The Government insists on the effectiveness of the measures
The Ministry of Economic Affairs insists in a statement that “the set of measures adopted last December are taking effect in their first month of application and will continue to contribute to the decline in inflation in the coming months.”
They insist that the year-on-year rate rose only two tenths in January, despite the rise in fuel prices after the withdrawal of the temporary subsidy, and they hope that underlying inflation “reflects the decline in inflation in the coming months general and energy costs and other raw materials”. EFE