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Price setting in the euro area: some stylized facts from individual consumer price data

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Author Info
Emmanuel Dhyne () (Banque Nationale de Belgique, Boulevard de Berlaimont 14, B-1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.)
Luis J. Álvarez
Hervé Le Bihan
Giovanni Veronese
Daniel Dias
Johannes Hoffmann
Nicole Jonker
Patrick Lünnemann
Fabio Rumler
Jouko Vilmunen

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This paper documents patterns of price setting at the retail level in the euro area, summarized in six stylized facts. First, the average euro area monthly frequency of price adjustment is 15 p.c., compared to about 25 p.c. in the US. Second, the frequency of price changes is characterized by substantial cross product heterogeneity - prices of oil and unprocessed food products change very often, while price adjustments are less frequent for processed food, non energy industrial goods and services. Third, cross country heterogeneity exists but is less pronounced. Fourth, price decreases are not uncommon. Fifth, price increases and decreases are sizeable compared to aggregate and sectoral inflation rates. Sixth, price changes are not highly synchronized across retailers. Moreover, the frequency of price changes in the euro area is related to several factors, such as seasonality, outlet type, indirect taxation, pricing practices as well as aggregate or product specific inflation.

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Paper provided by European Central Bank in its series Working Paper Series with number 524.

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Length: 50 pages
Date of creation: Sep 2005
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Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20050524

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Related research
Keywords: Pricesetting; consumer price; frequency of price change.;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - General
C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models

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