Year-on-Year and Month-on-Month Growth Rates of the
Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index in the National Capital Region: December and November 2013
| All Items | December 2013 | November 2013 | Year-to-date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year-on-Year | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Month-on-Month | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Year-on-Year
On an annual basis, the Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index (CMWPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) rose 2.4 percent in December from 2.3 percent in November. Higher annual gains were posted in fuels and lubricants index at 3.4 percent in December from 1.6 percent in November and cement index, 5.6 percent from 5.3 percent. Meanwhile, slowdowns were recorded in the indices of 11 commodity groups. Movements in the indices of plywood; structural steel; glass and glass products and PVC pipes remained at their previous month’s rates while those for asphalt and machinery and equipment rental were zero.
The annual average growth rate of the CMWPI in NCR for the year 2013 eased to 1.8 percent from 3.7 percent in 2012. A decline was seen in the annual average change of fuels and lubricants index at -0.9 percent from 3.5 percent. Moreover, slower annual average additions in the following indices contributed to the downtrend: sand and gravel (2.4% from 8.3%); concrete products (2.3% from 3.3%); hardware (1.6% from 3.7%); plywood (1.3% from 4.8%); lumber (2.8% from 4.5%); reinforcing steel (2.4% from 4.3%); structural steel (1.8% from 5.6%); glass and glass products (0.6% from 0.8%); doors, jambs and steel casement (1.8% from 4.1%); electrical works (2.4% from 5.8%); painting works (0.9% from 4.8%); PVC pipes (1.6% from 2.3%); and asphalt (3.5% from 7.0%). However, the annual average hike in the cement index grew by 5.8 percent from 0.1 percent; G.I. sheet, 3.1 percent from 2.0 percent; and plumbing fixtures and accessories/waterworks, 2.8 percent from 1.8 percent. The annual average increase in tileworks index remained at its last year’s rate of 4.1 percent while that for machinery and equipment rental index was still zero.
Month-on-Month
Compared to its last month’s level, the increment in the CMWPI in NCR improved to 0.2 percent in December from 0.3 percent. The monthly uptick in cement index slowed to 0.3 percent in December from 0.6 percent in November. On the other hand, faster monthly rates were correspondingly noticed in the indices of tileworks and fuels and lubricants at 0.2 percent and 1.2 percent from 0.1 percent and zero growth, respectively. The rest of the commodity groups remained stable during the month.
Price mark-ups in cement, paints, ceramic tiles, diesel and fuel oil were noted during the reference period.
