ABSTRACT
Most of the available data on prices comes originally from the government statistical offices in each country, and generally their publications include the widest and most detailed sets of information. The major non-governmental sources of prices data are the market-research publications of different countries. In general, these consist of specially commissioned studies of the market for particular products and usually include prices charged in the shops. By their nature, these studies are one-off publications and, as well as being difficult to find, can be expensive to buy. Consumer prices are the prices of those goods purchased by individuals or households, rather than by institutions, governments, or firms. The basic problem in measuring consumer prices is deciding which goods to include in any index and what importance to give to each item. Expenditure patterns vary with household composition and so this is a factor in the choice of which households are covered.
