Weekly Economic News Roundup and Social Security COLAs
entitlements
Why Social Security Should Look at Senior Spending

Based on the Consumer Price Index, cost-of-living changes in a senior’s Social Security check could be more accurately calculated.

Weekly Economic News Roundup and prices and grades
Macroeconomic Measurement
When a Grade Is Like a Price

Looking at grade inflation at colleges and universities, we can ask whether the increase can be compared to prices.

Weekly Economic News Roundup and inflation worries
Macroeconomic Measurement
Inflation Clues From Sticky Prices

To solve the mystery created by the inflation worries that are in the news, we can look at sticky and flexible prices.

weekly economic news roundup and supermarket decision fatigue
Macroeconomic Measurement
What the CPI Is Hiding

A Consumer Price Index (CPI) that went up by just .6 percent during the past year hides a much larger increase in some grocery prices.

Economic news roundup and Covid basket
Macroeconomic Measurement
How Covid-19 Affects the Cost of Living

Because a Covid-19 basket of goods and services has a different inflation rate from the CPI basket, the cost of living might not be what we think it is.

Weekly Economic News Roundup and inflation differences
What's Trending
Why Your Inflation Rate is Different From Mine

Although the BLS reports the CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation rate each month, our own household could see different price changes.

healthcare spending
What's Trending
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.

politics and purchases
What's Trending
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.

Weekly Economic News Roundup and tradable goods
What's Trending
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.

Weekly Roundup and 12 days of Christmas
Macroeconomic Measurement
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.

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