Rio, February 19, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Mid-month Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA-15) rose 0.90% in February, as against 0.68% in January, according to a note released today by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Among the major causes of the increase from one month to the next, the one that stood out the most was education, in which price reajustments are typical at the beginning of the year. Monthly school fees rose 8.17% and contributed 0.3!% to February's inflation.

Among other sectors that exerted an influence on the increase in inflation were electricity, which rose from 0.91% to 1.36%, water and sewage, which rose from 0.28% to 1.37%, cooking gas, which rose from 0.20% to 1.14%, and new cars. (DAS)