International Monetary Fund

Data cited at: Consumer price indexes, The International Monetary Fund Consumer price indexes (CPIs) are index numbers that measure changes in the prices of goods and services purchased or otherwise acquired by households, which households use directly, or indirectly, to satisfy their own needs and wants. In practice, most CPIs are calculated as weighted averages of the percentage price changes for a specified set, or ‘‘basket’’, of consumer products, the weights reflecting their relative importance in household consumption in some period. CPIs are widely used to index pensions and social security benefits. CPIs are also used to index other payments, such as interest payments or rents, or the prices of bonds. CPIs are also commonly used as a proxy for the general rate of inflation, even though they measure only consumer inflation. They are used by some governments or central banks to set inflation targets for purposes of monetary policy. The price data collected for CPI purposes can also be used to compile other indices, such as the price indices used to deflate household consumption expenditures in national accounts, or the purchasing power parities used to compare real levels of consumption in different countries.

Data cited at: Direction of Trade Statistics, The International Monetary Fund. The Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS) presents current figures on the value of merchandise exports and imports dis-aggregated according to a country's primary trading partners. Area and world aggregates are included in the display of trade flows between major areas of the world. Reported data is supplemented by estimates whenever such data is not available or current. Imports are reported on a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis and exports are reported on a free on board (FOB) basis, with the exception of a few countries for which imports are also available FOB. Time series data includes estimates derived from reports of partner countries for non-reporting and slow-reporting countries.

Data cited at: International Financial Statistics (IFS), The International Monetary Fund. The International Financial Statistics database covers about 200 countries and areas, with some aggregates calculated for selected regions, plus some world totals. Topics covered include balance of payments, commodity prices, exchange rates, fund position, government finance, industrial production, interest rates, international investment position, international liquidity, international transactions, labor statistics, money and banking, national accounts, population, prices, and real effective exchange rates. The International Financial Statistics is based on various IMF data collections. It includes exchange rates series for all Fund member countries plus Anguilla, Aruba, China, PR: Hong Kong, China, PR: Macao, Montserrat, and the Netherlands Antilles. It also includes major Fund accounts series, real effective exchange rates, and other world, area, and country series. Data are available for most IMF member countries with some aggregates calculated for select regions, plus some world totals. National Accounts, Indicators of Economic Activity, Labor Markets, Prices, Government and Public Sector Finance, Financial Indicators, Balance of Payments, International Investment Position, International Reserves, Fund Accounts, External Trade, Exchange Rates, and Population.

The Monetary and Financial Statistics (MFS) database contains the aggregated surveys covering: i) Central Bank ii) Depository Corporations and iii) Other Financial Corporations. The key macroeconomic aggregates in this dataset include: i) Monetary base and broad money; ii) Credit aggregates (including credit to the private sector); and iii) Foreign assets and liabilities.   Beginning in 2009, there are two presentations of Monetary Statistics in IFS. The new presentation data follows the Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual (MFSM) and the Monetary and Financial Statistics Compilation Guide (MFSCG), a companion to the MFSM that contains more detailed coverage of the classification, economic sectorization, valuation, and recording of financial assets and liabilities in an economy. The MFSCG gives prominence to the source data for monetary and financial statistics.   The majority of countries use the standardized report forms (SRFs) to report monetary data to the IMF and are presented under SRF Countries.   The old presentation is used for those countries that do not use the SRFs for reporting Monetary data and presented under Non-SRF Countries. The presentation of these countries will be changed to the new presentation when the countries implement the reporting of SRF-based data.   The Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual and Compilation Guide (Manual) updates and merges into one volume methodological and practical aspects of the compilation process for monetary and financial statistics (MFS). Aimed at compilers and users of MFS, it offers a conceptual framework for the collection, compilation, and analytical presentation of monetary data, which provide a critical input for monetary policy formulation and monitoring.   Detailed monetary statistics based on the standardized report forms reflecting the conceptual framework of the above Manual and its predecessors.