Online prices now form part of S'pore consumer price index

Singapore

WAITING to pounce on the most affordable online air ticket for your year-end vacation?

Or looking to buy weekend movie tickets online for that blockbuster that you've always wanted to catch?

The Singapore government's statisticians are also monitoring these prices - at work.

In a significant move that may ultimately have a bearing on monetary policy, the government's Department of Statistics (DOS) began earlier this year to include online prices in the consumer price index (CPI).

The CPI measures average price changes in a fixed basket of goods and services commonly purchased by resident households over time. It is also a measure of price …