The Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Monthly Labor Review published the over per month percent change in the price index for imports from April 2006 to April 2007. This data is shown below.
April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April
0.2 1.5 -0.2 0.4 1.5 0.5 1.6 -0.3 -1.4 0.6 0.9 2.0 0.8
a. Calculate the average percent change for the 9 months of 2006 and the 4 months of 2007.
b. Compare the two averages. What do these measurements indicate about the price index in each time period?