These data may be derived from any number of sources, including company performance, prices, productivity, and employment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 primarily track U.S. markets, though some legacy international companies are included.
[2] The consumer price index tracks the variation in prices for different consumer goods and services over time in a constant geographical location and is integral to calculations used to adjust salaries, bond interest rates, and tax thresholds for inflation.
[citation needed] An index number is an economic data figure reflecting price or quantity compared with a standard or base value.
Spatial indexes summarize real estate prices, or toxins in the environment, or availability of services, across geographic locations.
While the CPI is a conventional method to measure inflation, it doesn't express how price changes directly affect all consumer purchases of goods and services.
In practice for retail price indices, the "basket of goods" is updated incrementally every few years to reflect changes.