Training Program

Experienced compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs), producer price indexes (PPIs), or export-import price indexes (XMPIs).

Participants should have a degree in economics or statistics or equivalent experience.

This course, presented by the IMF Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the theory and practice of compiling CPIs, PPIs, and XMPIs. It covers the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of the choice of the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course also covers methods for sampling and collecting data from retail outlets and enterprises. The role of price indexes as deflators in the 2008 SNA is analyzed, as are related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. There are sessions on the following topics:

• „„methods for handling temporarily and permanently unavailable items;
• adjusting prices for quality changes, including new products, establishments, and outlets; and
• chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures.

The course follows the principles and recommended practices in the CPI (2004), PPI (2004), and XMPI (2009) manuals.