Inflation posts slight rise and ends February up 0.9%

Inflation measured by the Broad National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) ended February up 0.9%. The result is 0.37 percentage points below the rate for January, which reached 1.27%. The data of the country's official inflation were released Wednesday (Mar. 9), by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

With the result, the Broad National Consumer Price Index posted a rise of 2.18% for the cumulative rate of the two first months of the year. The result is 0.3 percentage point below the 2.48% rate for the same period in 2015. For the last 12-month period, the rate rose 10.36%, also below the 10.71% for the previous 12-month period.

Considering the nine groups of products and services surveyed, the highest increase was reported for items of education, which reached a rise of 5.9%, reflecting the adjustments made at the beginning of the school year, especially for the monthly school tuition, which rose 7 43%. Another group recording rise was Food and beverages (up 1.06% and contributing 0.27 points).

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta