National Consumer Price Index (Switzerland)

The country's consumer price index (CPI ) measures the inflation of the most important consumer goods (goods and services ) for Swiss households. It is taken to also get a " truthful " value is the average of the population. The price development measures of the CPI based on a basket of goods contains some 1050 goods and services. These are weighted according to their share of the household budget.

The CPI is collected by the Federal Statistical Office.

Legal foundations

The legal basis is provided by the national index of consumer prices, the Federal Statistics Act of 9 October 1992 (SR 431.01 ) and the Regulation on the implementation of statistical surveys conducted by the Federal 30 June 1993 (SR 431.012.1 ).

Type of survey

The CPI is a sample survey - on site, by phone, internet, mail and based on scanner data. Per month some 50,000 prices are collected at approximately 3,000 outlets. Participation in the survey is mandatory.

Implementation

The CPI has been conducted since 1914. In the years 1939, 1966, 1977, 1982, 1993, 2000, 2005 and 2010, there were extensive revisions with rebasing. Today the collection every month during the first two months weeks will (except survey of prices of heating oil and fuels in the 1st and 3rd week of the month ) instead.

Composition of the basket

The basket of the CPI in 2012 is made up as follows:

Taxes, liability insurance, and health insurance premiums are not included, since it is intended to act solely to the " private consumption". For example, the prices of the drugs and not the insurance premiums are measured.

Importance of the CPI

The CPI has a great significance for information:

  • Consumer behavior: Decisions of saving or consumption
  • Public institutions (social security, federal government, cantons and municipalities): Economic policy and inflation discussion → adaptation of budget, pensions and bonuses.
  • Company: assessing the economic situation
  • Households: Decisions of saving or consumption
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