Rio, 9/11/2003 (Agência Brasil – ABr) – The General Price Index - Domestic Availability survey, which is conducted by the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, was up 0,62% in August, a jump of 0.82 percentage points, compared to July when it was negative 0.20%. For the first nine months of the year the cumulative IGP-DI is now up 4.96%, and for the last 12 months it is up 22.03%.

The spike in August is blamed on wholesale prices which account for 60% of the IGP-DI; they rose 0.70%. There was also a sharp rise in construction costs (INCC), up 1.44%, but the INCC is only 10% in the IGP-DI. Meanwhile, retail prices, 30% of the IGP-DI, rose 0.13%. (AB)