New index tracks inflation expectations

A new index to track the general public's perception of how prices change was launched yesterday by MasterCard and SMU. The first of its kind here, the Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SInDEx) aims to be a gauge of consumers' and firms' sentiment, and help shape monetary policy. The index is developed by Jun Yu and Aurobindo Ghosh of SMU's Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI). The goal is to eventually launch similar indices for economies in the region too to allow for comparisons, Prof Jun and Dr Ghosh said.