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Bureau of Labor Statistics > International Technical Cooperation > Services > Seminars and Consultations

Constructing Producer Price and Import and Export Price Indexes

Participant profile

This seminar is designed for economists, statisticians, researchers, analysts, and other professionals working with producer price indexes or import and export price indexes in national statistical programs. Participants should have an elementary knowledge of statistics.

Objectives

To strengthen capabilities for the production and analysis of statistics on producer prices and import and export prices with relation to:

Designing, constructing, and analyzing indexes of producer prices and import and export prices
Using statistical tools such as probability sampling and regression analysis in the measurement and analysis of producer prices and import and export prices
Using data from alternative sources for price indexes

Program content

This seminar is designed to present the theory, techniques, and methodologies for planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining statistical programs for the measurement of producer prices and import and export price indexes.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) is a family of indexes that measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. PPIs measure price change from the perspective of the seller. This contrasts with other measures, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures price change from the purchaser's perspective. Sellers' and purchasers' prices may differ due to government subsides, sales and excise taxes, and distribution costs.

Producer Price Indexes are widely used by the business community as well as government. Three major uses are:

As an economic indicator. The PPIs capture price movements prior to the retail level. Therefore, they may foreshadow subsequent price changes for businesses and consumers. National leaders and central banks employ these data in formulating fiscal and monetary policies.
As a deflator of other economic series. PPIs are used to adjust other economic time series for price changes and to translate those series into inflation-free currency values. For example, constant-dollar gross domestic product data are estimated using deflators based on PPI data.
As the basis for contract escalation. PPI data are commonly used in escalating purchase and sales contracts. These contracts typically specify cost amounts to be paid at some point in the future. It is often desirable to include an escalation clause that accounts for increases in input prices. (See BLS Report 807, Escalation and Producer Price Indexes: A Guide for Contracting Parties.)

Import and Export Price Indexes (MXPI) are a family of indexes that measure the average change over time in the prices of nonmilitary goods and services traded between the domestic country and the rest of the world.

Import and Export Price Indexes are used by the business community as well as government. Three major uses are:

As an economic indicator. The MXPIs capture price movements of goods traded across borders and of services traded across borders and between domestic and foreign businesses. Price trends in Import Price Indexes (MPIs) reflect imports to domestic production, and thus are a harbinger of domestic business and consumer price change. National leaders and central banks employ these data in formulating fiscal and monetary policy.
As a deflator of other economic time series. MXPIs are used to adjust other economic time series for price changes and to translate those series into inflation-adjusted currency values. For example, a country’s trade balance and international accounts are adjusted to constant-dollar measures using deflators based on MXPI data.
As a way to track input prices into domestic production.

The MXPIs help to answer the question "how do prices of internationally traded goods and services impact the domestic economy?" and are the primary data source used to deflate various foreign trade statistics.

Participants are encouraged to bring with them the following materials for use in discussions and workshops: 1) methodological documentation on how data related to the seminar topic are collected in their home countries; 2) questionnaires or data sources used in their countries for obtaining those data; and 3) sample publications of those data.

The seminar includes discussions on the following topics:

Producer Price Indexes (PPI) and Import and Export Price Indexes (MXPI)

Conceptual framework
Target population
Sampling and weighting techniques
Selection of sample items and establishments
Development of specifications
Collection and processing of data
Construction of index numbers
Seasonal items and other special problem areas
Quality adjustments
Evaluation of alternative data sources and techniques for calculating price indexes
Data collection and conceptual problems in the informal sector
Publication, presentation, and dissemination of data
Uses of price index data
Application of price index data in other countries

Techniques for analyzing data on prices and expenditures

Analysis of selected statistical tools and techniques
Use of price indexes as a deflator in the GDP
Use of price indexes as a deflator for trade statistics
Analysis of the ways in which price changes impact real wages and purchasing power
Measures of competitiveness

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Last Modified Date: May 19, 2023