1999 Inflation Lowest in 30 Years
(January 2000)
Israel enjoyed its lowest rate of inflation in more than
three decades last year, as consumer prices edged up just 1.3 percent, the
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said on January 7, 2000. It was the lowest
level of inflation since 1967, when the consumer price index (CPI) rose just
0.2%. It was also lower than U.S. inflation, which was 2.7% last year.
The 1999 CPI was weighed down partly by deflation in the
first quarter, but the spike in prices the economy experienced in the autumn
had tailed off by the end of the year. The CBS reported Friday that the
December CPI was unchanged following an 0.2% decline in November.
The 1999 CPI was kept low first and foremost by housing
prices, which fell 0.9% over the course of the year. Discounting housing
prices, the CPI rose 2% in 1999. Clothing prices, which account for a much
smaller portion of the index, fell 4%, and prices of furniture and household
items dropped by 1.4%. Transportation and communication prices rose only 0.8%.
Fresh produce prices, always a volatile part of the CPI, jumped 6.5%. Overall
food prices rose 2.9%, health costs by 4.9%, and education, entertainment, and
culture by 3.3%.
Sources: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |