2.0% the average increase in the prices of wholesale trade for the first quarter of 2018

Data issued by the Department of Statistics on the wholesale trade prices indicate an increase in the wholesale trade prices Index for the first quarter of 2018 by 2.0% to reach 97.8 in 2018 compared with 95.9 during the same period in 2017. This was a result of an increase in the prices of the group “sale of motor vehicles and their parts and motorcycles” by 8.4% , this group has  increased the index number by 1.56 percentage points, The group of “ sale of garments, clothes and housing and personal commodities” by 7.5% which represented 0.75 percentage points and “Sale of fuel, metals and construction materials and fitting” by 0.84% which represent 0.18%  percentage points, which their relative importance constitute 19.8% , 10.9%and 20.8% respectively.

While the prices of some commodity groups have been decreased which are the group of “Sale of machinery, equipment and supplies” by 3.4% representing 0.23 percentage points, “trade of raw agricultural materials, cereals and food products, beverages & tobacco” by 0.6% representing 0.22 percentage points which their relative importance constitute 9.3% and 39.2% respectively. 

 The report also indicates an increase in the general wholesale trade price index for the first quarter of 2018 by 1.6% compared with fourth quarter of 2017. This was a result of an increase in the prices of the group “motor vehicles and their parts and motorcycles” by 8.8% with an increase in the index number by 1.64 percentage points and “trade of raw agricultural materials ,cereals and food products, beverages & tobacco” by 0.3%, Where it contributed in increasing the index number by  0.09 percentage points which have the relative importance of 19.8% and 39.2% respectively.

While there was a decrease in prices of the group of “ sale of garments, clothes and housing and personal commodities” by 0.9% representing 0.09 percentage points, “Sale of fuel, metals and construction materials and fitting” by 0.3% representing 0.02 percentage points and “sale of motor vehicles and supplies and their parts” by 0.2% representing 0.02 percentage points, which their relative importance constitutes 10.9%,20.8% and 9.3%   respectively.

Its worthy to mention that the base year has been modified to 2010 instead of 1998, Where the prices data are collected by the Department of Statistics through a sample that includes (330) commercial Establishments, covering the prices of (1590) commodities traded in wholesale market, in addition to fruits and vegetables whose prices are Obtained from the central market bulletin.

 The following figure shows the general trend of index number of wholesale trade prices for 2017 & 2018.