How are health insurance costs reflected in inflation calculations?

Nov 13, 2023
To make the CPI’s health care component more accurate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics changed how it uses health insurance data.
Rather than tracking health insurance premiums, the BLS tracks how much health insurance companies retain of the premiums they receive after paying for services.
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What’s the difference between CPI and PCE?

Oct 27, 2023
The consumer price index and the personal consumption expenditures price index measure the changing cost of different baskets of goods.
Housing is a bigger part of the CPI than the PCE, and the increase in housing costs has pushed the CPI higher.
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Would-be used-car buyers could be in for a rude awakening on dealers' lots

Oct 12, 2023
While prices slipped last month, they're still significantly higher than before the pandemic — and headed higher.
Used car prices are dropping. But if you haven't been in the market for a used car since before the pandemic, prices might still shock you.
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Inflation rates have been a little stuck lately. Is that a bad thing?

Oct 12, 2023
Waiting it out might just be part of the journey to cool inflation.
At this point in the journey to cool inflation, it can feel like we're running in place. Is that such a bad thing?
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Uptick in gas prices could threaten consumers' confidence

Aug 10, 2023
Inflation at the pump is in the pipeline for August. It would likely show up right before the Fed’s September interest rate meeting.
The recent uptick in gas prices can largely be attributed to intense heat in oil refining areas.
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Why year-over-year inflation changes aren’t a great indicator of today’s inflation

Aug 9, 2023
Year-over-year inflation figures grab a lot of attention when the Labor Department reports its monthly consumer price index. But those 12-month figures can gloss over the recent slowdown in inflation.
While year-over-year inflation can be helpful to filter out temporary changes that happen month-to-month, it can gloss over the recent slowdown in inflation.
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Why have car repairs gotten so expensive?

Aug 7, 2023
The cost of car maintenance and repair is rising much faster than inflation.
Aside from the rising price of spare parts, repair costs have gotten more expensive because newer cars are more complicated to fix. 
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Economists forecast inflation cooling with the latest consumer price index this week

Jul 11, 2023
That would be a good sign for the Federal Reserve as it tries to get inflation under control.
Right now, incoming inflation reports like the CPI are extra-important because the Federal Reserve uses the data to determine whether its going to raise rates again.
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Why are used car prices still so high?

Jun 13, 2023
The microchip shortage of recent years put the brakes on the production of new cars. That's making for a low supply of used cars now.
While used car prices are down from their pandemic peak, they're still about 40% higher than before COVID, according to government data.
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We're in the stubborn phase of inflation cooling

Jun 13, 2023
The latest data shows inflation is well below its peak of more than 9% a year ago. But there’s a ways to go before the Fed reaches its 2% target.
There’s still a ways to go before the Federal Reserve reaches its target of 2% inflation.
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