Documentation for fixed-weighted price estimates
April 29, 2009


NOTE TO USERS:   The following four aggregate series appear on each sheet of the Excel file:

                 Gross domestic product, personal consumption expenditures,
                 gross domestic purchases, and gross national product (GNP).

                 New GNP figures are suppressed during advance estimates, and
                 also during the preliminary estimate of the fourth quarter.


This readme file refers to the electronic media data files of fixed-weighted
price indexes (FWPI) based to 2000=100.  The data are separated into four
sheets of an Excel file called FXDPRICE.XLS. These four sections of the
file are described as follows:

AnnIndex: (Annually) Fixed-Weighted Price Indexes for Gross
Domestic Product and Selected Series

QtrIndex: (Quarterly) Fixed-Weighted Price Indexes for Gross
Domestic Product and Selected Series

AnnRate: (Annually) Percent change from Preceding Period for Selected
Fixed-Weighted Price Index Series

QtrRate: (Quarterly) Percent change from Preceding Period for Selected
Fixed-Weighted Price Index Series

Time period covered:  annually  1997 - 2008
                      quarterly 1997Q1 - 2009Q1 (Advance)


Major changes in coverage, definition, or methodology since the last release:


Beginning with the December 2003 Benchmark release, price indexes are computed
with base year 2000 fixed weights.  Previously, the base year was 1996.
Indexes using 1996 as the base year are no longer being computed nor being
distributed to the public.  Between 1996 and 1997 the composition of goods
changed.  Weights of the year 2000 are not available for estimates prior to
1997.  Chain-type estimates are available.


If there are any questions about the computation of these fixed-weighted
indexes, please contact Mike Boehm at 202-606-9767 or Karl Rohrer at
202-606-9671.


Frequency:  Both annually and quarterly data are provided

Frequency of issue: Monthly release of quarterly estimates

Date of next release:  May 29, 2009

Units of Measure:  Index numbers, 2000 = 100

Values not available:  NA

Contact:  UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
              Bureau of Economic Analysis
              National Income and Wealth Division (BE-54)
              Washington, D.C.  20230

          Attention:  For information about this file,
                      contact Lisa Mataloni (202) 606-5304