Electricity bill rises nearly 8% and pushes September inflation to 0.82%
Food and fuels also became more expensive; 12-month accumulated inflation reached 4.58%
Inflation in Brazil rose 0.82% in September, mainly pressured by the rise in residential electricity. Data from the National Broad Consumer Price Index (HICP), released by the IBGE on Friday, show a resumption of the rise in prices after the 0.32% fall recorded in August.
The electricity bill was 7.98% more expensive in the month. The move is related to the end of the Itaipu Bonus discount, which had reduced invoices issued in August. Without the downturn, energy has again put pressure on the household budget.
All the groups of products and services surveyed showed an increase in September. Housing led the increase, with a variation of 2.31%, followed by Transport, with 0.89%, and Food and Beverage, with 0.83%.
Tomatoes and potatoes weigh on shopping
After three consecutive months of decline, the Food and Beverage group rose again. Food consumed at home increased by 0.96%. Among the products that made the most expensive, tomatoes rose 37.76%, while English potatoes rose 24.07%. The onion advanced 10.14%, the rice became 4.56% more expensive and the meats had an increase of 0.63%.
Feeding outside the home also showed an increase of 0.48%. Meal prices rose 0.49% in September, after a 0.18% change in August.
Airfares and fuels increase
In the Transport group, air tickets registered a 9.66% increase. Fuels, taken together, rose 1.41%. Ethanol showed the greatest increase among fuels, with 3.16%. Diesel oil, with 1.69%, gasoline, with 1.21%, and vehicular gas, with 0.10%.
These results increased the pressure on travel-related expenses, in addition to housing and food expenses.
Inflation in 12 months exceeds target limit
With the September result, the HICP accumulated 4.58% in 12 months, above the upper limit of 4.5% of the inflation target. The center of the goal is 3%, with a tolerance margin of 1.5 percentage points up or down. In the cumulative period of 2026, the increase reached 3.95%, according to the report provided.
The HICP is the official indicator of Brazilian inflation and tracks the variation in the prices of products and services consumed by households.
