A price statistics supplies statistic information about prices in the examined economic range. There prices with purchase sales transactions (in the following for the sake of simplicity mostly just still the term of "“sales"” used) to strictly speaking only develop, are these the basis of each price statistics. Price statistics are provided primarily in the official statistics, since they unite expenditure cause.

Determination of average prices

The availability of price statistics would be favourable in the form of average prices. By the comparison of such average prices over the time or in the regional or technical cross section new realizations could be derived.

Example: In a country if the average price for bread in different regions for different business categories is determined over the time, from this price conditions for bread for different regions or for different business categories as well as price conditions could be easily derived between different time periods for one time.

Price statistics are set up however rarely in the form by average prices. This is because of the very high requirements and the associated high costs, which develop with the determination of average prices.

For this it requires first clear systematics with clear references, which category is to be assigned a product.

Example: How is the demarcation between "“bread"” and Depending upon decision the average price is pressed clearly downward or for rolls by a large roll clearly upward by bread by small bread.

However can during the answer of such allocation questions frequently to relevant legal standards, e.g. from the food right, will be fallen back. This is also meaningful, since these designations are then used also e.g. in the food trade.

In order to compute the average price of the product category, is further either a total data collection or an error free sample model necessary, which arranges all products in this category according to its meaning.

Example: In the above example it would have to be surely posed that all Brotsorten with all its relevant characteristics (composition and quality of the contents contents of, weight) according to their meaning for the consumer in the sample again to be exact.

If such average prices are determined e.g. for different times, the problem of the comparability places itself. Since a different structure of the relevant characteristics can be the basis for the average prices, it cannot be judged e.g. whether inflation is present or only more frequently more expensive Brotsorten were sold.

In order further average prices for more general product categories too received (aggregation), must the market shares that individual products which can be seized together admit to be.

The specified conditions are however rarely fulfilled and accordingly hardly give it to statistics over price levels.

Determination of price indices

With price indices against it the sample model is less critical in the comparison, since is assumed the products of a product category are in a competition relationship and develop therefore concerning the price similarly. The products of a product category are thus more similar regarding the price history by far than regarding the price level.

Example: Even if thus a weissbrot is cheaper than sunflower bread, their prices might develop relatively similarly.

Because of these smaller requirements price indices are represented completely predominantly in the form of price indices, mostly than statement about the price history over the time in an economic sector.

For genuine price indices it is characteristic that these make really only one statement about the development of the prices over the time (in the temporal price comparison). The property, whose prices are observed, does not change thereby in the fiction. If the prices of the observed goods change over the time, because their utilizable value improves equally (e.g. in consequence of the technical progress), then the price indices remain unaffected by it, because the prices for a given utilizable value ("“quality"”) did not change in this case. The price indices make thus a statement about the development of the prices over the time with given quality.

Warenkorb, collection positions and weighting pattern

Basis of each price statistics is the list of a Warenkorbes also for the examined economic sector representative goods (mostly consisting of products, sometimes also of services, rarely from further goods). With the list of such goods baskets can often be fallen back to existing systematics.

Apart from the composition of the Warenkorbes is also the meaning (the weight) of the individual goods of the basket to determine (weighting pattern).

With a consumer price index the Warenkorb consists for example of all goods, which buy private households for the own consumption. In addition food belongs and other consumer goods, durable consumer durables such as furniture or cars as well as services such as hairdresser attendance or attendance of maintenance meetings. For the composition and the structure of the Warenkorbes the COICOP classification (Classification OF individually Consumption by PUR-float) is obligatorily given e.g. with the European "“harmonized consumer price index"” by statutory order.

The Warenkorb is also the output basis for the regulation of collection positions. These are the concrete goods, whose selling price is raised. With the determination of the collection positions is to be made certain on the one hand that these for the goods and services are representative in the Warenkorb, on the other hand presumably for a long time in unchanged form at the market is, so that breaks are avoided with the raised prices.

Example: For bread a collection position "“rye wheat and rye bread"” could read. The fact that the portion of the rye flour amounts to here at least 60% results from food regulation regulations.

Since the danger exists that the selected restaurant participants (ith f. Report places specialized) in a completely determined market cutout within the product category (large/small orders, certain Produktvarianten, possibly additional service), the collection positions of the price statistics in a description of framework are often specified, which must be supplemented then of the report place after the operational conditions. Here defaults of the price statistics are to be considered, i.e. that the selected property "“fits"” the default that it is relevant regarding the market meaning that its price history for the remaining goods of the enterprise, which fit the default is representative and that the property presumably sells during a longer period in as unchanged a form as possible (and/or bought) becomes (to the avoidance of breaks with the raised prices).

Example: For "“Rogggenmischbrot"” the addition could read that the sales weight amounts to 750g and the flour originates from conventional cultivation of grain.

For the fixed collection positions in the price statistics regularly prices are raised. For this it must be first determined, who the prices to the price statistics is to announce (and/or must).

Selection of the report places and concretizing the collection positions

Since it is practically impossible to provide first an overview of the sales in an economic sector and to raise then concerning this prices, the Preiserhebung takes place sequentially with representatively selected restaurant participants, those regularly such transactions accomplishes (on the buyer or salesman side) sometimes received also third due to legal regulations - e.g. Notaries with transfers of title to real estate or customs authorities with import and/or export of goods - knowledge of such transactions and can be potentially selected thereby as report place). It is accepted by the selected restaurant participants that their price formation is representative. In the price statistics a formal sample selection is uncommon, since the requirement characteristics for the report places are not taken off by the available selection bases: So A is not well-known priori whether a selected report place transacts sales according to a given collection position. If this is the case, the report place must supplement the description of the collection position (S. o.). Further fastidious data are to be given in the process of the Preiserhebung (see below). These requirements cannot be fulfilled by some report places. To clarify therefore after preselection (potential) of a report place tried whether these conditions are fulfilled, before it actually comes to a consulting for the message and thus to the actual selection.

Preiserhebung and - treatment, dressing

If the concrete goods are fixed for a Preiserhebung, for this the regular Preiserhebung can take place, by the report places monthly or quarterly - depending upon price statistics - afterwards to be asked, to which price them the collection position in at the beginning of fixed variant (S. o.) to the deadline or within a certain period sold.

If a property were sold not or not in the fixed variant, the price history mostly becomes with a similar property, which was sold both in the past and in the current period, when indicator for the estimation of the raised price uses.

If a property is not any longer sold, the Preiserhebung must turn into on a similar property that likewise fulfills the defaults mentioned. Such transitions and at all the effects of the structural change at the sold goods (technical progress) require a so-called quality clearing, so that price indices can be computed, which reflect the "“genuine price adjustment"” (S. o.).

If the prices are raised and plausibilisiert, the index computation can take place.

Applications of the results

First the results of the price statistics serve, i.e. the price indices (for the time comparison), generally the observation of the economic situation. In a boom phase the prices tend to rise in addition, during them in a recession stagnate or even - usually only partially - decrease/go back. However price indices for the business research have an only supplementing character, since they are running after compared with other market indicators.

Price indices for the evaluation of the relationship of supply (economics) and demand are by far more important in an economic sector. If the price indices developments point to politically unwanted direction, they can be cause for against-arranged political measures. Special attention receives here the price history, which settles with the private households and is measured in the consumer price index, since in the long run all Preistendenzen in a national economy with a more or less large delay settle with the purchase by the final consumer (the private households). This price index is consulted therefore generally as measure for the inflation in a national economy. Accordingly measures of the financial policy and above all the monetary policy attach to the development this price index.

Further important function of price indices is their application with value safeguards. Here contracting parties for cash payments resulting later secure themselves, by being based at present price and/or cost expense. If these conditions in the future change, the payments are based in the same relationship, on fixed price indices to adapt.

An important statistics-internal function of price indices is the Deflationierung of economical data. Here the statistic data available in respective prices are settled around the inflation portion. This permits the determination of "“material"” data.

Sources and left

• Information and data to price indices of the statistic federal office

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