Year-on-Year

The annual hike in the construction materials retail price index (CMRPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) further decelerated to 0.5 percent in January 2014 from 1.4 percent in December 2013. Annual declines were still noted in the indices of painting materials and related compounds and miscellaneous construction materials at -0.7 percent and -2.1 percent from their respective previous month’s rates of -0.1 percent and -1.6 percent. In addition, slower annual increments were recorded in the following commodity groups: carpentry materials index, 0.3 percent from 0.6 percent; electrical materials index, 0.4 percent from 1.8 percent; and masonry materials index, 1.0 percent from 3.9 percent. A higher annual gain was however registered in tinsmithry materials index at 5.9 percent from 5.4 percent while that for plumbing materials index remained at -0.2 percent.

Month-on-Month

The CMRPI in NCR dropped by 0.2 percent in January from a zero growth in December. The following commodity groups posted decreases during the month: carpentry materials index, -0.2 percent from 0.1 percent; electrical materials index, -0.7 percent from zero growth; painting materials and related compounds index and miscellaneous construction materials index, -0.4 percent from their corresponding last month’s rates of -0.1 percent and 0.3 percent; and plumbing materials index, -0.3 percent from -0.1 percent. On the other hand, the indices of masonry materials and tinsmithry materials picked up 0.8 percent from their last month’s rates of -0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Lower price quotations were generally observed in common wire nails, electrical wires and wiring devices, paints, sand paper, GI pipes and steel bars. Meanwhile, prices of cement and tinsmithry materials went up during the month.