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 …