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Quick Guide: Some Popular BEA Price Indexes

Quick Guide: Some Popular BEA Price Indexes  Print/Download
  Measures prices for final goods and services that are:  
  Bought by
consumers		 Bought by
businesses &
governments		 Produced
in U.S.		 Imported
to U.S.		 Exported
from U.S.		  
PCE Price Index Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index and related indexes Check Icon Cross Icon Check Icon Check Icon Cross Icon
  • Closely watched by the Federal Reserve
  • Similar to the BLS Consumer Price Index; the formulas and uses differ
  • Captures consumers' changing behavior and a wide range of expenses
 

Related indexes that exclude some PCE categories prone to volatile prices:

Core PCE Price Index PCE Price Index, Excluding Food and Energy
PCE Excluding Food, Energy, and Housing
PCE Services, Excluding Energy and Housing
Gross Domestic Purchases Price Index Check Icon Check Icon Check Icon Check Icon Cross Icon
  • BEA's featured measure of inflation in the U.S. economy overall
GDP Price Index Gross Domestic Product Price Index Check Icon Check Icon Check Icon Cross Icon Check Icon
  • Measures only U.S.-produced goods and services
GDP Price Deflator Gross Domestic Product Implicit Price Deflator Check Icon Check Icon Check Icon Cross Icon Check Icon
  • Closely mirrors the GDP price index, although calculated differently
  • Used by some firms to adjust payments in contracts
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