HONG KONG, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Hong Kong quickened to 3.8 percent year-on-year in September from the 3.7 percent in August, the city's statistics department said here on Monday.
Netting out the effects of all government's one-off relief measures, the CPI in September was 3.9 percent, also higher than the 3.7 percent in August, mainly due to the increases in public housing rentals and the charges for household services.
A government spokesman said the austere economic environment and more moderate increases in import prices should help to contain inflation in the rest of the year, while the volatility of food and commodity prices amid abundant global liquidity is an area to watch over.
Prices for housing in Hong Kong rose 5.6 percent in September from a year ago, followed by electricity, gas and water 3.7 percent, food 3.4 percent, miscellaneous services 3.0 percent, transport 2.1 percent, clothing and footwear 2.0 percent and alcoholic drinks and tobacco 0.7 percent.
On the other hand, prices for durable goods fell 1.4 percent in September.
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