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How do individual UK consumer prices behave?

Author

Listed:
  • Philip Bunn

    (Bank of England)

  • Colin Ellis

    (BVCA and University of Birmingham)

Abstract

This paper examines the behaviour of individual consumer prices in the United Kingdom, and uncovers a number of stylised facts about pricing behaviour. First, on average 19% of prices change each month, although this falls to 15% if sales are excluded. Second, the probability of price changes is not constant over time. Third, goods prices change more frequently than services prices. Fourth, the distribution of price changes is wide, although a significant number of changes are relatively small and close to zero. Fifth, prices that change more frequently tend to do so by less. We find that conventional pricing theories struggle to match these results, particularly the marked heterogeneity, which argues against the use of ‘representative agent’ models.

Suggested Citation

  • Philip Bunn & Colin Ellis, 2011. "How do individual UK consumer prices behave?," Bank of England working papers 438, Bank of England.
    • Handle: RePEc:boe:boeewp:0438
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Manuel Julio & Javier Guillermo Gómez & Manuel Dario Hernández, 2017. "La Inflación de los Precios Rígidos en Colombia," Borradores de Economia 1007, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    2. Alessandro Flamini & Guido Ascari & Lorenza Rossi, 2012. "Industrial Transformation, Heterogeneity in Price Stickiness, and the Great Moderation," DEM Working Papers Series 025, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    3. Rashmi Harimohan, 2012. "How has the risk to inflation from inflation expectations evolved?," Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Bank of England, vol. 52(2), pages 114-123.
    4. Figus, Gioele & McGregor, Peter G. & Swales, J. Kim & Turner, Karen, 2020. "Do sticky energy prices impact the time paths of rebound effects associated with energy efficiency actions?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Khan Hashmat & Tsoukalas John, 2013. "Effects of productivity shocks on hours worked: UK evidence," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(1), pages 549-579, September.
    6. Philip Bunn & Colin Ellis, 2012. "Examining The Behaviour Of Individual UK Consumer Prices," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 122(558), pages 35-55, February.
    7. Stephen Millard & Tom O'Grady, 2012. "What do sticky and flexible prices tell us?," Bank of England working papers 457, Bank of England.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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