Brazil's monthly inflation index falls to 0.36% in November

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 5 (Chinese media) -- Brazil's National Consumer Price Index

(IPCA), the country's official inflation index, fell to 0.36 percent in

November, from 0.45 percent in October, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and

Statistics (IBGE) said Friday.

The fall in the monthly inflation surprised most experts, who had predicted

the figure at 0.5 percent, according to the IBGE.

The statistics agency attributed the lower inflation rate to slower growth

in food prices, which stood at 0.61 percent in November, compared with 0.69

percent in October.

Non-food products registered an inflation of 0.29 percent in November, down

from 0.39 percent in October.

The accumulated IPCA for 2008 reached 5.61 percent, up from 3.69 percent in

the same period last year, the IBGE said.