Metrics 2.0 Inflation : Trends by the Numbers

Economic Indicators: CPI Rose 0.2%; Leading Economic Indicators Up 0.1%

Consumer prices rose by 0.2% in January, compared to a 0.4% rise in December, according to the Labor Department. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food components, rose by 0.3% in January, the largest one-month gain in seven months.

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Posted to Inflation| February 21, 2007 1:00 PM | Permalink

US Economic Indicators for Today: CPI Best Showing Since 2003; Housing Starts Up 4.5%

Here is a quick summary of today's key economic indicators: CPI up 2.5% in 2006, the best showing since 2003; New Home Constructions in December rose 4.5%; Initial jobless claims last week fell 8,000.

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Posted to Inflation| January 18, 2007 3:57 PM | Permalink

Wholesale Prices Jump in November by Largest Amount in 32 Years

The Producer Price Index for finished goods, which measures inflation at the wholesale level, surged 2% in November, the biggest advance since a similar increase in November 1974, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

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Posted to Inflation| December 19, 2006 9:20 AM | Permalink

Economic Indicators for Today: CPI Unchanged; Industrial Production Up

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index (consumer inflation) was unchanged in November, following declines of 0.5% in each of the preceding two months, according to the U.S. Department of Labor report. Energy prices, which declined sharply in September and October, fell 0.2 percent in November. The food index decreased 0.1 percent in November.

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Posted to Inflation| December 15, 2006 2:37 PM | Permalink

Core Inflation Biggest Drop in 13 Yrs; Retail Sales Declined 0.2%; Inventories Rose 0.4%

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that U.S. retail and food services sales for October, were $363.7 billion, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous month, but up 4.5% from October 2005. This is second consecutive monthly decline in retail sales, following a 0.8% fall in September. Total sales for the August through October 2006 period were up 5.3% from the same period a year ago.

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Posted to Inflation| November 14, 2006 11:58 AM | Permalink

Consumer prices fall by largest amount in 10 months; Core Inflation Edges Up

The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell 0.5% in September, compared to the 0.2% increase in August. It was the biggest decline since a 0.7% fall in November, 2005, driven by a large 7.2% drop in energy prices. Gasoline prices fell by 13.5% last month, the biggest one-month decline since a drop of 16.1% last November. Core inflation (core CPI) - which excludes energy and food - edged up by 0.2%.

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Posted to Inflation| October 18, 2006 10:23 AM | Permalink

PPI decline biggest in 3 year, Industrial production down 0.6%

The Labor Department reported that Producer Price Index (PPI) fell 1.3% in September, the biggest decline in three years, while the core PPI, which excludes food and energy prices, climbed 0.6%. The PPI increased 0.1% and the core PPI declined 0.4% in August.

Among finished goods in September, prices for energy goods declined 8.4% compared with a 0.3% increase in August. The finished consumer foods index rose 0.7% after advancing 1.4% in the prior month.

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Posted to Inflation| October 17, 2006 2:40 PM | Permalink

CPI Up 0.2%, Industrial Output Slipped 0.1%, Consumer Sentiment was up ... More Econ Indicators

The Labor Department reported Friday that its closely watched Consumer Price Index (CPI) posted a 0.2% increase in August, half of the 0.4% rise in July, driven by a big slowdown in energy costs, which edged up by 0.3% in August after a 2.9% surge in July.

Core inflation, which excludes the volatile energy and food sectors, also came in at 0.2% increase in August. The core inflation over the past 12 months has risen by 2.8%, the biggest 12-month gain in nearly five years and also above the Fed's comfort zone of 1% to 2%.

For August, food prices showed an increase of 0.3%, after a gain of 0.2% in July.Clothing prices rose by 0.9% in August. The index for housing, which rose 0.3% in July, increased 0.2% in August. Medical care costs rose 0.4% in July and were 4.3% higher than a year ago. Educational costs rose 0.7%, reflecting increases of 1.2% in the index for college textbooks and 0.6% in the index for college tuition. Airline fares, which had been rising sharply because of fuel costs, fell by 1.9%, the biggest drop since last December.

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Posted to Inflation| September 15, 2006 9:31 AM | Permalink

Consumer Price Index Rose 0.4% in May, Core Inflation was up 0.3%

Wholesale prices had surged by 0.2% in May and an even worse 0.9% percent in April, the biggest increase in seven months, reflecting a huge jump in energy costs.

The Labor Department reports that Consumer Price Index (CPI) posted a 0.4% increase in May. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food prices, rose by a larger-than-expected 0.3%.

During the first five months of 2006, the CPI rose at a 5.2% seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 3.4% for all of 2005. The index for energy, which rose 17.1% in 2005, advanced at a 30.8% SAAR in the first five months of 2006.

Posted to Inflation| June 14, 2006 11:09 AM | Permalink

US Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 0.2 percent in May

Most of the decline in the PPI index can be traced to prices for energy goods, which slowed to a 0.4% increase in May after advancing 4.0% in April.

Gasoline prices climbed 2.2% in May following a 12.3% jump a month earlier.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for Finished Goods rose 0.2% in May, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 0.9% jump in April and a 0.5% advance in March. The price index for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.3% in May compared with a 0.1% rise in April.

Prices for finished consumer foods declined 0.5 percent in May compared with a 0.1-percent rise in April.

The capital equipment index advanced 0.3 percent in May after moving up 0.2 percent in April. In May, higher prices for heavy motor trucks, communication and related equipment, commercial furniture, civilian aircraft, and for agricultural machinery and equipment more than offset lower prices for passenger cars, integrating and measuring instruments, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Posted to Inflation| June 13, 2006 8:04 AM | Permalink

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