Although the BLS reports the CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation rate each month, our own household could see different price changes.…
One Reason For High Hospital Prices
By looking at inflation rates for tradable and nontradable goods and services, we can identify one reason for high hospital prices.…
Where Clothing Size Inflation Is a Large Problem
Like the CPI measures purchasing power through the dollar’s inflation rate, we can observe waistline changes through clothing size inflation.…
Comparing Eggs to Bananas
By dividing the CPI into goods and services that can and cannot be traded, we can see the impact of trade on price changes.…
An Unusual Inflation Indicator
Like the CPI, through “The 12 Days of Christmas,” we can see how prices change in a Christmas Price Index that includes pear trees and dancing maids.…
What the Twelve Days of Christmas Will Cost You
The PNC Christmas Price Index might be an accurate inflation calculator because it includes the price of labor, commodities, services and goods.…
The Fed’s Inflation Mystery
Usually Federal Reserve interest rate hikes should control inflation but now it is mysteriously missing, even with low unemployment.…
Using The Bacon Cheeseburger to Advise the Fed
Because consumer spending perception is based on what is regularly purchased, the bacon cheeseburger (cheese, bacon, beef) can be an inflation indicator.…
Inflation: What A Billion Prices Tell Us
Every year, my class meets Harriet Shaw through a PBS NewsHour broadcast from 1991. An economic assistant for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), she is a professional shopper who tracks prices. In …