Regulars
THE VIVID INDEX
June 2004
Whoever said April was the cruelest month? According to our ten-item basket of everyday goods and services, April was an excellent month for inflation, with negative growth in prices and the annual rate dropping by almost six per cent. With the official 12-month figure dropping to 12.8 per cent, we see the government's inflation target for the year of 9 per cent as very achievable.
| Price | ||||
| Item | April 1999 | Year ago | March | April |
| Salami de Sibiu (1 kg, Mega Image) | 92,000 | 320,700 | 335,000 | 335,000 |
| Bananas (1 kg, Piata Amzei) | 18,000 | 45,000 | 50,000 | 45,000 |
| Unleaded petrol ( 1 litre, Agip) | 7,800 | 23,500 | 24,900 | 25,100 |
| Rail ticket (Bucharest-Brasov, Rapid, first class) | 70,000 | 272,000 | 306,000 | 306,000 |
| Coca Cola (330 ml, Mega Image) | 4,800 | 13,700 | 18,400 | 18,400 |
| 1 Libertatea | 1,700 | 3,500 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| 1 Big Mac | 18,000 | 55,000 | 59,000 | 59,000 |
| 1 Egg (Piata Amzei) | 1,000 | 2,500 | 3,700 | 3,500 |
| Cigarettes (Carpati, Ion Slatineanu shop) | 4,000 | 14,000 | 17,500 | 19,000 |
| Int. telephone call (1 min., daytime, Europe) | 8,900 | 17,400 | 11,070 | 11,070 |
Monthly nominal change in prices, April 2004: -0.6 per cent
(March was 1.6 per cent)
April 2004 government figure: 0.8 per cent (0.6 per cent)
Vivid Index, year-on-year: 10.2 per cent (16.1 per cent)
Government figure, year-on-year: 12.8 per cent
(13.6 per cent)
2003 inflation: 14.1 per cent
2002 inflation: 17.8 per cent
2004 target: 9.0 per cent
