Consumer price index

Minnesota’s economic train falls off the tracks.

Inflation does not seem to be slowing down. In fact, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), prices rose 1.3 percent in June compared to…

Last year, the President Biden celebrated and took credit for the fact that your Independence Day cookout would cost, on average, 16 cents less than it did in 2020: Since…

He superficially understands the “why” but has it all backward on the “what now.”  A Pew Research poll last month found that 70% of Americans view inflation as a very big problem…

Writing about the April inflation figures last month, I noted that “gas prices have been ticking up again recently… and this will be reflected in next month’s CPI numbers.” That…

Last week, Forbes reported: The Walton heirs have lost a staggering $33.7 billion in the last two days as shares of their family’s retailing giant, Walmart, continue to be pummeled.…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released figures for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in April today. The good news was that the CPI increased by 0.3 percent in April,…

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation was 1.2 percent in March and 8.5 percent over the year (for the Midwest the figures were 1.3 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively).…

Are people greedier here? Recently, I had an op-ed in the Star Tribune arguing that the high housing costs we face in Minnesota are not a problem, but rather a…

In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index had risen by 7.9% over the previous year, the fastest year-on-year rate since January 1982. Stripping out volatile…

In a puzzling statement when he was running for the presidency, now President Joe Biden said “Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.” Quite what he meant by that is anyone’s guess,…

The rate of year-over-year inflation in the United States hit a 40 year high in February. The rate of increase was higher in the Midwest than it was for the…

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation was 0.8 percent in February and 7.9 percent over the year (for the Midwest, the figures were 0.9 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively). This…

Last week, I noted that in January, Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) was running at its highest year over year rate since February 1982. This is the inflation figure most familiar…

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation was 0.6 percent in January and 7.5 percent over the year (the increase was 7.9 percent in the Midwest). This is the fastest…

In the year to December, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 7 percent, its fastest rate of annual increase since June 1982. “Core CPI” — which excludes more volatile food…

Minnesotans are having their incomes and living standards squeezed by inflation. The national figures get the headlines, but less known is the fact that the situation is especially bad here.…

‘You may not be interested in monetary economics, but monetary economics is interested in you.’

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation rose by 7.0 percent in the year to November. This is the fastest annual rate of increase since June 1982. Stripping…

On Dec. 7, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released its budget forecast for Fiscal Year 2022-23, which foresaw a $7.746 billion projected surplus. This immediately sparked a debate about what…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its inflation numbers for November this morning and they did not make for happy reading over breakfast. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose…

The Biden administration has a shifting stance on inflation, from ‘non-existent’ through ‘good thing’ to ‘conspiracy by evil businesses’. The pivot away from celebrating inflation as a sign of economic…

Last week, the Financial Times reported: The pace of US consumer price growth pushed higher in September, hovering at a 13-year high as inflationary pressures drove up the cost of…

When I started studying for my economics degree in 2007, people’s eyes would glaze over when I told them what I studied. By the time I started my second year…