1.8% the average increase in the prices of wholesale trade for the fourth quarter of 2017

Data issued by the Department of Statistics on the wholesale trade prices indicate an increase in the wholesale trade prices Index for the fourth quarter of 2017 by 1.8% to reach 96.3 in 2017 compared with 94.6 during the same period in 2016. This was a result of an increase in the prices of the group “Sale of textiles, clothing and personal housing products” by 12.8% representing 1.3 percentage points, The group of “Sale of fuel, metals and construction materials and fittings” by 3.7%, representing 0.7 percentage points and  the group of “trade of raw agricultural materials ,cereals and food products, beverages & tobacco” by 0.7%  representing 0.3 percentage points with a relative importance of 10.9%,20.8% and 39.2% respectively. While there was a decrease in prices of the group of, “Sale of machinery, equipment and supplies” by 5.9%  representing 0.4 percentage points and the group of “motor vehicles and their parts and motorcycles” by 0.04% representing 0.01 percentage points with a relative importance of 9.3% and 19.8 respectively

The report also indicates an increase in the general wholesale trade price index for the fourth quarter of 2017 by 0.4% compared with the third quarter for the same year. This was a result of an increase in the prices of the group “Sale of fuel, metals and construction materials and fitting” by 2.1% representing 0.4 percentage points , and “trade of raw agricultural materials ,cereals and food products, beverages & tobacco” by 0.5% representing 0.2 percentage points ,“motor vehicles and their parts and motorcycles” by 0.3% representing 0.05, percentage points and “Sale of clothing and personal housing products” by 0.3% representing 0.03 percentage points which have the relative importance of 20.8%,39.2%19.8% and 10.9% respectively. While there was a decrease in prices of the group of “Sale of machinery, equipment and supplies” by 2.9% representing 0.2 percentage points with a relative importance of 9.3%

The report also indicates an increase in the general wholesale trade price index for the fourth quarter of 2017 by 0.6% compared with the same period of 2016 the rate of change was (-4.7%) of 2016 compared with the same period of 2015. This was a result of an increase in the prices of the group “Sale of clothing and personal housing products” by 8.3% representing 0.7 percentage points, “Sale of fuel, metals and construction materials and fitting” by 1.6%, representing 0.3 percentage points, “trade of raw agricultural materials ,cereals and food products, beverages & tobacco” by 0.3% representing 0.1 percentage points. While there was a decrease in prices of the group of “Sale of machinery, equipment and supplies “by 6.5% representing 0.4 percentage points and motor vehicles and their parts and motorcycles” by 0.6% representing 0.1 percentage points,

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 2016 & 2017.