Prices

Prices play a very important role as economic indicators. For an exporter, information on prices provides an essential service in that it enables him to assess the price-competitiveness of his products. It allows the exporter to realign his export prices to market conditions and to negotiate contracts on a more informed basis.

Depending on the product, price information has a relatively short life span and is highly sensitive to changes in the market situation. Prices and quotations should be regarded at best as today "photographs" of various importing markets. And since actual prices paid may, in reality, be completely different to quoted prices  most published prices can really only be considered indicative.

The types of prices that are important and should be considered when writing a market brief are :

• CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) prices quoted by competitive parties constitute extremely valuable information if they can be obtained. When import statistics are reliable and the product being studied is homogeneous, unit value of imports might be used as rough indicators of CIF prices.
• Wholesale prices. They incorporate costs of internalization of goods, including domestic taxes and tariffs, transportation and the mark-ups of the importer and of the wholesaler, if different.

Sources of Price Information

I. Commodity Prices

Public Ledger Commodities Online   Subscription based, physical market and global commodity exchange prices for over 700 commodities ranging from grains, oilseeds and softs to exotics, including fruits, nuts, waxes, gums and essential oils.

World Bank - Commodity Price Data - Pink Sheets  Monthly commodity price data in summary format.

IMF Primary Commodity Prices   The Primary Commodity Price tables are presented annually, quarterly, monthly, and weekly. The list is updated monthly.

Bridge/CRB Commodity Yearbook   On hardcopy and CD-ROM. Historical price information on any of more than 100 commodities.

Board of Trade Clearing Corporation BOTCC   Links to Exchanges and Clearinghouses

Business Cycle Indicators   Available on a subscription basis.

II. Other primary products

ITC's Market News Service (MNS)   is a subscription-based service, providing current market prices for selected products (excluding major commodities). Products and markets covered are:

• fresh fruit and vegetables (Europe, Middle East and North America)


• bulk fruit juices (Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom)

cut flowers (Europe, North America and Asia) and tropical ornamental young plants (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden)

• spices (Europe: France, Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom; Middle East: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; Asia: Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore; North America: USA-New York)


• rice (All major trading and exporting markets in the world)


• pharmaceutical starting materials (in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the monthly report gives up-to-date indicative prices and relevant commercial data trends on 206 pharmaceutical Starting Materials used in the manufacturing of essential drugs as well as excipients).


GAIN (Global Agricultural Information Network) Price Tables   Provides wholesale market reports for fresh fruits and vegetables in major world markets.

University of Florida - MIS (Market Information System)   MIS provides agricultural market information received from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).