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3254
Strong decrease in car purchases
statistikk
2009-03-02T10:00:00.000Z
Wholesale and retail trade and service activities;Income and consumption;National accounts and business cycles
en
vki, Index of household consumption of goods, volume index, household consumption (for example car purchase, food consumption, electricity consumption)Wholesale and retail trade , Consumption, National accounts , Income and consumption, National accounts and business cycles, Wholesale and retail trade and service activities
false

Index of household consumption of goodsJanuary 2009

Content

Published:

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Strong decrease in car purchases

According to the seasonally adjusted figures household consumption of goods fell by 1.3 per cent from December 2008 to January 2009. The reduced car purchases pulled the index down significantly. The index, excluding these purchases, shows a growth of 1 per cent.

According to the seasonally adjusted figures, purchases of vehicles and petrol dropped by 16.1 per cent from December 2008 to January 2009.

Households’ consumption of food, beverages and tobacco, as well as electricity and heating fuels, showed a minor or no change compared with the previous month.

Consumption of the goods in the group “other goods”, increased by 2.1 per cent. Leisure equipment pulled the index up whereas the other goods in the group had only minor changes. Other goods include inter alia furniture, household equipment, leisure equipment, books, clothes and white and brown goods.

Unadjusted volume index shows that the households’ consumption of goods was 3.3 per cent lower in January 2009, compared with the same month in the previous year. Consumers bought significantly fewer cars, whereas the other consumption groups showed growth when one compares January 2009 with January 2008.

Method differs from the index of retail sales

The index of household consumption of goods describes the development in household consumption, while the index of retail sales measures the development in retail sales. As opposed to the index of retail sales, the index of household consumption of goods has a wider selection of goods. The calculation of the index of household consumption of goods is based on information from the index of retail sales, plus purchases of cars (initial registration) and consumption of electricity and heating fuels. This may result in deviations in the development of the two indices. Additionally one should bear in mind that the “Standard Industrial Classification” changed 1.1.2009, which inter alia means that petrol stations from then onwards are a part of retail sales.

The index of household consumption of goods uses the same definitions and methods of compilation as the quarterly national accounts, and thus serves as an indicator of household consumption in the quarterly national accounts.

Since Statistics Norway gives high priority to timeliness in the release of statistics, the index of household consumption of goods may have to rely on preliminary estimates in some cases. This implies that such estimates will be replaced in subsequent releases.

Index of household consumption of goods, January 2009. Seasonally adjusted and unadjusted volume indices. January 2008-January 2009. 1995=1001
Period Sesonally adjusted Change from previous
month. Per cent
Unadjusted Change from
the same month
last year. Per cent
2008        
January  149.4 -1.3  142.1 1.0
February  151.0 1.1  136.7 7.7
March  150.1 -0.6  140.4 -5.1
April  151.6 1.0  146.4 11.8
May  150.6 -0.7  149.8 2.7
June  149.5 -0.7  152.3 -3.6
July  147.0 -1.6  150.6 1.1
August  147.5 0.3  147.5 -3.9
September  147.2 -0.2  141.7 0.1
October  145.1 -1.5  145.3 -3.5
November  145.4 0.3  144.3 -7.3
December  146.0 0.4  190.5 -0.1
         
2009        
January  144.0 -1.3  137.4 -3.3
1  Please note that the indices have been revised.