Consumer prices fall for second month in row

Dubai

Consumer prices in Abu Dhabi declined by 0.8 per cent in February 2019 compared to February 2018, marking the second consecutive month of a drop in prices in the emirate.

The decrease last month was driven by a decline in transport costs, according to the latest figures from Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (Scad), and follows a 0.9 per cent year-on-year decline in prices in January 2019. The Centre did not elaborate on what caused the decline in transport prices.

The drop in last month brings the decline in the first two months of this year to 0.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.

Scad said in its report that transport prices in January and February 2019 fell by 9.8 per cent over the same months last year, as prices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and fuel also fell by 3.4 per cent year-on-year.

Prices of food and beverage fell by 1.1 per cent, whereas prices of clothing jumped by 15.8 per cent year-on-year.