price index

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Definition of price index

: an index number expressing the level of a group of commodity prices relative to the level of the prices of the same commodities during an arbitrarily chosen base period and used to indicate changes in the level of prices from one period to another

Recent Examples of price index from the Web

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday increased 6.8 percent in March from a year earlier.

— josh boak, USA TODAY, "For-sale signs vanish as March home prices up 6.8%; Case-Shiller index above 2006 levels," 29 May 2018
Portland-area home prices jumped 6.7 percent in March compared with a year earlier, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Portland metro home prices up 6.7% in March," 29 May 2018
The core price index, which excludes often volatile food and energy, was at 1.9% for the same period.

— jim puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Fed holds key interest rate steady among rising inflation and fears of a global trade war," 2 May 2018
On Tuesday, Standard & Poor's said that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index climbed 6.2 percent in January from a year earlier on top of a 6.3 percent annual gain in December.

— paul wiseman, Houston Chronicle, "U.S. pending home sales rise 3.1 percent in February," 1 Apr. 2018
The home price index is slightly higher than the 2006 peak, before the housing market and the economy crashed.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Head of investment firm previously based in Mass. resigns after ALS diagnosis," 29 May 2018
The Case-Shiller home price index uses repeat sales of the same homes to measure changes in values across the market.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Slower home-price growth isn't helping first-time buyers," 25 Apr. 2018
An unusual plunge in costs for mobile-phone services in March 2017 has weighed on the consumer-price index excluding food and fuel.

— sho chandra, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Inflation Finally Set to Break Free From Wireless Drag," 10 Apr. 2018
Gas in Louisiana averaged $2.57 a gallon on Monday (May 14), according to AAA's gas price index.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "Roaches, goats and hedgehogs: American Airlines tightens emotional support policy," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'price index.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.