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Consumer Price Index

What do different measures of inflation tell us?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Jun 30, 2022
The PCE and CPI measure different things, but the message they send to consumers may influence expectations — that then can affect inflation.
One thing that can really mess with what inflation is doing? What consumers think inflation will do.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Some prices take longer than others to drop — and longer than inflation

by Kristin Schwab
Jun 13, 2022
Some essentials — notably food — may may maintain their price strength. Appliances and furniture may come down quicker.
Meat prices have climbed 14% from a year ago, and it may take a while for those price gains to slow.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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"Owners' equivalent rent" a key property of inflation

by Matt Levin
Jun 10, 2022
OER, a component of the consumer price index, involves homeowners’ estimates of what their residence would rent for.
In the process of calculating the consumer price index, the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks homeowners how much money, hypothetically, they'd rent their place out for.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Inflation eases, but uneasy consumers expect more price hikes

by Mitchell Hartman
May 11, 2022
Will worries about higher costs down the road lead to curtailed spending?
Inflation is slowing slightly, but economic anxiety is ramping up.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Government data seems to show inflation's slowing. But that doesn't mean prices will fall.

by Justin Ho
May 10, 2022
In some ways, falling prices would actually be bad news for the economy.
Americans are frustrated with inflation in the prices of everyday items, but deflation would cause its own problems.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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When it comes to inflation measures, the Federal Reserve prefers the PCE

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Apr 29, 2022
For monetary officials, the personal consumption expenditures gauge beats the CPI. A trip to the grocery store helps explain why.
When pressed about fighting inflation, survey participants say they want to hold the line on prices for essentials, says Eric Plutzer of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. But "those policies require the Congress and the president to work together."
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Why inflation hits harder, depending on who you are

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Apr 25, 2022
People who spend a bigger chunk of their budget on gas and groceries are disproportionately impacted by rising prices.
We all have our own personal inflation rate, depending on what we buy. Above, a shopper at a grocery store in Los Angeles.
David McNew/Getty Images
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U.S. inflation jumped 8.5% in past year, highest since 1981

by Associated Press
Apr 12, 2022
With this data, the Fed is expected to raise interest rates aggressively.
Gasoline prices hover around $4.00 a gallon for the least expensive grade at several gas stations in the nation's capital on April 11, 2022 in Washington, DC. The high fuel prices are a combination of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic, supply chain breakdowns, high inflation and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Inflation is high, but has it peaked?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Jan 12, 2022
Inflation is high but decelerating. So when will it decelerate to something normal?
Though there are hints that inflation may be near its peak, economists debate how long factors that influence it — like the labor shortage — could persist.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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For people on benefits, inflation adjustments lag behind

by Amanda Peacher
Dec 10, 2021
Social security and SNAP benefits are adjusted every year for inflation. While that tends to be enough in normal years, it's not enough right now.
For those on fixed incomes, inflated prices on everyday items like rent and food can hit particularly hard.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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