price index

noun

|Updated on: 31 Jul 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 Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE price index, takes a sixth of its weight from rent and imputed rent.

— james mackintosh, WSJ, "Lies, Damn Lies and Inflation," 14 May 2018
Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press Yields may also face upward pressure after the Labor Department releases May data on the consumer-price index, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

— daniel kruger, WSJ, "U.S. Government Bonds Weaken Ahead of Auctions, Fed Meeting," 11 June 2018
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index moved up 6.6 percent from a year earlier, led by outsize gains in Seattle, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

— christopher rugaber, USA TODAY, "US home prices march upward in April as buyers fight over low supply," 26 June 2018
The cost of a single-family home across the metro area grew 13.1 percent in April compared to a year ago, according to the monthly Case-Shiller home-price index, released Tuesday.

— mike rosenberg, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s nation-leading streak in home-price increases now tied for 2nd longest on record," 26 June 2018
In many cases, prices for those new goods — like computers — plunge over time, but price indexes fail to capture the change.

— patricia cohen, New York Times, "E-Commerce Might Help Solve the Mystery of Low Inflation," 11 June 2018
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

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.