For July 2021, the All Jamaica Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 111.4, indicating an inflation rate of 1.5 per cent as released today by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). The movement in the CPI was largely due to an increase of 2.3 per cent in the index for the heavily weighted ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’ division. Increases in the...

The rise of food delivery service has become a major trend in Jamaica over the past year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for effective and time-sensitive delivery is the new Jamaican tech start-up, Driva Ja. The online food delivery service boasts that it is Jamaica’s answer to Uber Eats and...

A total of 32 product standards were promulgated by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) in 2020. These are related to cannabis (3); hand sanitisers (1); toy safety (6); household and similar electrical appliances (5); fluorescent and led lamps (2); electric cables, insulation, conductors and enclosures (9); refrigerating appliances (3); pre-packaged goods (2); and bamboo straws (1). Eight standards were...

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is celebrating 20 years as the Government’s premier agency for supporting the development of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector in Jamaica. Established in 2001, the entity provides business development services from concept to market. These include offering guidance for business start-ups and expansion; business advice and consultation; research services; business monitoring,...

The Office of the Supervisor of Insolvency (OSI) says there are many benefits for individuals having a positive credit score. Speaking with JIS News, Deputy Supervisor of Insolvency, Fayola Evans-Roberts, said that there are increased opportunities for persons who have a reputation of a positive credit score. A credit score is a number assigned by a mathematical algorithm that converts...

Jamaicans will be able to access a wealth of information about credit repair at the Caribbean Credit Repair Association (CCRA) Credit Restoration Virtual Summit. The two-day summit will be held on Thursday, July 22 and Friday July 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and streamed on the Financially Focused Facebook page and YouTube channel. The theme for the event...

Jamaica recorded declines in import expenditure and export earnings during the January to March 2021 quarter, relative to the corresponding period in 2020. Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) show that imports were valued at just over US$1.3 billion, representing a 2.3 per cent decline, while exports earnings totalled US$354.6 million, a decrease of 0.1 per cent. STATIN...