The rise in consumer price inflation minus mortgage costs (CPIX) dropped to 3.7 percent last month from 4.4 percent in October, Statistics SA reported on Wednesday.

It attributed the year-on-year rise mainly to increases in the price indices for transport, food, housing, medical care and health expenses, household operation and education.

Stats SA said the headline or official inflation rate (CPI) was 3.4 percent in November, from four percent in October.

The lower annual rate could be explained by the CPI for transport, which decreased from 9.8 percent at October 2005 to 6.3 percent at November 2005 and for food, which decreased from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent.

This main contributors for the 3.4 percent inflation rate were cigarettes, cigars and tobacco, fuel and power, food and housing.

Sapa

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