Rio, 3/9/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Inflation as measured by the Weekly Consumer Price Index (IPC-S), for the period from February 3 to March 2, was 0.38%, an increase of 0.12 percentage points over the last survey. Economists at the Brazilian Economic Institute, which is housed in the Getulio Vargas Foundation, say that although the rise interrupted a series of drops in the index in February, the increase was still the third smallest rise of the IPC-S this year.

The increase was blamed on the Food price segment, which accounted for 0.18 percentage points in the IPC-S. Green vegetable and fruit prices accounted for fully 89% of the Food increase.

Out of the twelve urban centers surveyed, the IPC-S rose in eight. The biggest rise was in Salvador (where the IPC-S went from an increase of 0.27% in the last survey, to 0.67% in this survey). (AB)