Documentation for fixed-weighted price estimates
August 29, 2012


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 second estimate of the fourth quarter.


This readme file refers to the electronic media data files of fixed-weighted
price indexes (FWPI) based to 2005=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  2000 - 2011
                      quarterly 2000Q1 - 2012Q2 (Second)


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


Beginning with the July 2009 Comprehensive Revision release, price indexes are computed
with base year 2005 fixed weights.  Before that release, the base year was 2000.
Indexes using 2000 as the base year are no longer being computed nor being
distributed to the public.  Between 2000 and 2001 the composition of goods
changed.  Weights of the year 2005 are not available for estimates prior to
2000.  Chain-type estimates are available.


If there are any questions about the computation of these fixed-weighted
indexes, please contact 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:  September 27, 2012

Units of Measure:  Index numbers, 2005 = 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