New BANREP´s classification of the CPI basket and revision of core inflation measures in Colombia

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The series Working Papers on Economics is published by the Office for Economic Studies at the Banco de la República (Central Bank of Colombia). The works published are provisional, and their authors are fully responsible for the opinions expressed in them, as well as for possible mistakes. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Banco de la República or its Board of Directors.

AUTHOR OR EDITOR
Eliana R. González-Molano
Ramón Hernández-Ortega
Edgar Caicedo-García
Nicolás Martínez-Cortés
Jose Vicente Romero
Anderson Grajales-Olarte

The series Borradores de Economía (Working Papers on Economics) contributes to the dissemination and promotion of the work by researchers from the institution. On multiple occasions, these works have been the result of collaborative work with individuals from other national or international institutions. This series is indexed at Research Papers in Economics (RePEc)

Publication Date

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Abstract

This paper proposes an update of the CPI disaggregations that Banco de la República implements and analyzes regularly. This new classification contributes to the timely identification of different inflationary pressures, it stands in accordance with international practices, it is compatible with the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) and it facilitates international comparability and communication by the monetary authority. 

Additionally, the core inflation indicators monitored by Banco de la República are evaluated. The performance of the current measures and new ones is studied based on 10 criteria, or desirable characteristics, that the underlying inflation measures must satisfy, and an update of the indicators currently monitored by the Banco de la República technical team is presented. The four measures of core inflation currently monitored by the Banco de la República still have a good performance. However, those measures are replaced by three new measures, according to the recent changes in the CPI basket, which facilitates the communication process by being aligned with the COICOP structure and with the proposed new classification.