New index gets a "more real-time view" of rent inflation

Jan 26, 2023
Housing is one of the biggest parts of inflation, but current metrics lag by about a year. The new tenant repeat rent index aims to change that.
A new index measures rent inflation by tracking new leases.
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What if we told you inflation was back to its target rate?

Jan 17, 2023
When we focus on recent months rather than year-on-year increases, inflation numbers look pretty good, says economist Alan Blinder.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell, above, isn't ready to declare victory over inflation yet, says economist Alan Blinder.
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Shelter costs rose in December while the Consumer Price Index declined. Why?

Jan 12, 2023
Today’s inflation report showed that both the rent and owner-equivalent rent indexes rose 0.8% in December.
Rents fell .8% nationally in December, according to data from Apartment List. Yet rents in the CPI rose by .8% last month,
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In the market for a used car? There's some good news.

Dec 13, 2022
Prices are 3.3% lower than they were a year ago, and have been dropping every month for the last five months. Here's why.
Despite a gradual decrease in price, used cars are still a lot more expensive than they were a couple of years ago.
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Inflation slows again. What now?

Dec 13, 2022
Prices rose 7.1% in November compared to a year ago — less than expected.
The gas prices drivers paid at the pump dipped 2% in November.
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Up, up, and away: Airfare ascends 43% in a year

Oct 13, 2022
A lot of people want to fly, and airlines have fewer seats to sell.
Increased passenger demand and staffing shortages are partially to blame for the surge in air travel costs.
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If gas prices are falling, why aren't things cheaper?

Sep 14, 2022
Gas influences how a lot of things cost – but there are other factors behind rising prices.
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For public good, not for profit.

Why the price of groceries is going up faster than a meal out

Aug 10, 2022
In part, that’s because restaurants don’t want to scare away customers.
"If consumers were truly, truly worried," says economist Jennifer Lee, discretionary spending on things like restaurant lunches "would be one of the first areas they would cut back on."
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Waiting for another inflation report, with concern

Aug 9, 2022
Wednesday the government will tell us how much prices changed year over year in July. Inflation was an alarming 9.1% in June.
While rising prices for services, like styling hair, worry economists, prices for some goods may be dipping.
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What do different measures of inflation tell us?

Jun 30, 2022
The PCE and CPI measure different things, but the message they send to consumers may influence expectations — that then can affect inflation.
One thing that can really mess with what inflation is doing? What consumers think inflation will do.
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