Rio, September 23, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Broad Consumer Price Index - 15 (IPCA-15) rose 0.57% in September, more than it did in August (0.27%).

According to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the increase in the index reflects higher prices for some products that weigh on family budgets, such as food, which went from -0.32% in August to 0.17% in September, medicines, which went from -0.21% to 0.15%, gasoline, which went from -1.23% to 1.88%, and fuel alcohol, which went from -10.33% to 6.43%. Another factor that contributed to September's rise was the readjustment of utility rates in some regions of the country.

For the year, the IPCA-15 has risen a cumulative total of 8.46%, and, over the past 12 months, 15.12%.

The IPCA-15 is calculated according to the same methodology as the Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA) and serves as a preliminary reading of inflation. The difference between the two indexes is in the period over which price data are gathered. (DAS)