Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Disinflating shelter prices and deflating gas prices work wonders for January CPI

No, it is not a mistake by putting the title at the head of this post (above) and a second time below. I did not want the AB readers to think I was writing this commentary about January CPI results. This report belongs solely to New Deal democrat. Oh, I did write or report on […]

The muddied historical picture of PPI vs. CPI

 – by New Deal democrat Forecasting has always been hard, and moreso since the supply chain issues of 2021-22 made reading the interest rate signals from the long leading indicators muddled. But at least the short leading indicators were intact. But now we have the additional wrench in the works in the form of a mafia-style […]

April CPI: the second victorious report in a row

 – by New Deal democrat Last month, I wrote that the March CPI report was the one we had been waiting for for the past three years. April’s was the second one in a row. To cut to the chase, there were no major components besides shelter which qualified as “problem children,” i.e., sectors with 4.0% […]

March CPI

This is the report we have been waiting for . . .  – by New Deal democrat In March, with the exception of the usual problem child of shelter, almost every other component of consumer prices was tame – except for meat and eggs. And even shelter continued to decelerate. If Jerome Powell hadn’t tied […]

Unwelcome news for homebuyers and the CPI, as repeat home sales prices continue re-acceleration in December

– by New Deal democrat There was unwelcome news in this morning’s repeat home sales reports from the FHFA and Case-Shiller. On a seasonally adjusted basis, in the three-month average through December, according to the Case-Shiller national index (light blue in the graphs below) prices rose 0.5%, and the somewhat more leading FHFA purchase only index (dark […]

January’s CPI increase of 0.5% in consumer prices was not welcome and . . .

January CPI: a new paradigm, with the reappearance of some old suspects  – by New Deal democrat Needless to say, January’s increase of 0.5% in consumer prices was not welcome. And there was a changing of the guard somewhat, as several of the old suspects (food and energy) made new appearances. Some of the spike […]

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers

Consumer Price Index – July 2024 (bls.gov) The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, after declining 0.1 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the All items index increased 2.9 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index […]

Gasoline, Part D, and Medicare Inflationary Increases

Simple commentary. Just started to receive information on increases. Gasoline is a no brainer. We drive a fuel efficient vehicle and do five over as opposed to what others do. It is interesting to hear the complaints. Thirty-gallon gasoline tank plus fast driving and you are getting into some serious money. You can only tell […]

What to look for in tomorrow’s CPI and Friday’s PPI

What to look for in tomorrow’s CPI and Friday’s PPI  – by New Deal democrat  We’re still in the post-jobs report lull in economic news today. That will end tomorrow with initial jobless claims, and also CPI and PPI tomorrow and Friday respectively. I always watch CPI, but I believe the PPI is uniquely important […]

The American working class is doing better, thank you very much

The American working class is doing better, thank you very much  – by New Deal democrat With the release of the CPI report earlier this week, I can update several measures of average middle class American income. Real average hourly wages increased 0.2% in June, and are up 1.6% from one year ago: Real aggregate payrolls […]