Russia-Ukraine WarEconomic PulseMillion Bazillion AcademyI've Always Wondered ...Make Me Smart Daily

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Stories Tagged as

CPI

Why do we care about "core" inflation?

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Mar 9, 2022
The core measure strips out food and energy prices, two of the biggest contributors to inflation today.
Food prices were up 7% year over year in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but core inflation takes food and energy out of the equation.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Americans are buying a whole lot of furniture

by Matt Levin
Feb 16, 2022
Home furnishing sales went up 7.2% month over month in January, but why are people buying so much furniture?
Furniture sales climbed in January as people made themselves more comfortable at home.
Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

To fight inflation, restaurants get creative with menus, portions

by Kristin Schwab
Jan 31, 2022
The rising cost of food is hitting restaurants — and they can only raise prices so much before customers balk.
To avoid raising prices, some restaurants rearrange menus to hide dishes with the lowest profit margins. Sometimes the plate gets a little lighter.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

What's behind the housing inflation disconnect?

by Amy Scott
Jan 11, 2022
For many Americans, rents are rising much faster than official numbers suggest.
Depending on the source, rent rose anywhere from 3% to 18% last year. Above, apartments in New York City.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

USDA program could help shore up local and regional food economies

by Savannah Maher
Dec 13, 2021
The program will help state and tribal governments purchase locally produced food for nutritional assistance programs like food banks and school cafeterias.
USDA Choice beef is displayed for sale in a grocery store on November 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Millennials facing high inflation for the first time

by Kristin Schwab
Dec 1, 2021
Beset by economic instability since 9/11 and the Great Recession, many millennials feel pressured and anxious about their prospects.
Millennials have already grappled with steep housing and tuition costs, and many entered the job market during the Great Recession.
Moyo Studio via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Inflation is hiding within retail sales spikes

by Mitchell Hartman
Nov 16, 2021
While prices are rising for consumers, that's not discouraging them from making purchases.
A woman shops at a Miami Target in September. While retail sales were up 16.3% year over year in October, inflation is eating up a lot of that increase.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

For public good, not for profit.

Support fact-based, independent journalism with a gift to Marketplace today.

Invest in marketplace

Why are people so glum about the economy?

by Mitchell Hartman
Nov 12, 2021
Wages are up and unemployment is down. So why has consumer sentiment plunged to levels not seen in a decade?
The pandemic and inflation are weighing on consumers' moods, counteracting the abundance of jobs and the rise in incomes.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Inflation can start from perceptions — that's why the Fed surveys consumers

by Kristin Schwab
Jul 13, 2021
If people think prices will rise, they will modify their behavior. That could, in turn, lead to price hikes.
A New York Fed survey shows consumer expectations of inflation over the next year have reached a new high.
Scott Olson via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Don't look for home prices in the latest inflation numbers

by Amy Scott
Jul 12, 2021
The consumer price index doesn't reflect the hot housing market, and some say that's a problem.
Different methods of calculating consumer inflation have different ways of accounting for the movement of home prices.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images for Redfin
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE