Sarah Bauder
Sarah has been writing on the topics of politics, history and finance for over a decade. She is currently an editor at CPI Inflation Calculator, covering the topics of CPI, inflation, US economy and economic commentary.
by Sarah Bauder | May 12, 2021 | CPI
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) edged up 0.8% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index rose 4.2% in the last 12-month period.
“This is the largest 12-month increase since a 4.9-percent increase for the period ending September 2008,” explained the bureau.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Energy Index
The index for energy dropped by 0.1% in April, “after rising in each of the last 10 months” stated the bureau in its monthly report. The price of gas declined 1.4%, also after seeing a similar rise over the last 10 consecutive months.
Conversely, other energy indexes experienced percentage increases. The indexes for electricity and natural gas both rose 1.2% and 2.4%, respectively.
Over the last 12-month period, the index for energy soared 25.1%. The price of gas skyrocketed an astounding 49.6% since this time last year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that this marked the “largest 12-month increase since the period ending January 2010”. The natural gas index rose 12.1% and the electricity index increased 3.6% over the past 12 months.
Food Index
In April, the index for food edged up 0.4%. The food at home index rose 0.4% for the month, with all six grocery store food group indexes seeing a rise in percentage. The index for fruits and vegetables increased 0.8%, and the fresh fruit index edged up 1.5%. Likewise, the food away from home index also increased 0.3% for the month.
Over the last 12-month span, the food at home index rose 1.2%. as did the index for food away from home by 3.8%.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
All Items Less Food and Energy Index
The all items less food and energy index edged up 0.9% for the month, reported the bureau. Several component indexes saw percentage rises including the index for shelter by 0.4%, with the owners’ equivalent rent index and the rent index both rising 0.2%, respectively.
“The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0% over the past 12 months; this was its largest 12-month increase since January 1996. Indexes with large 12-month increases include used cars and trucks (21%) and airline fares (9.6%). The shelter index increased 2.1% over the last 12 months, and the medical care index rose 1.5%,” stated the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its report.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released a statement regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the collection of data for April 2021:
“Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in April was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.”
Source cited: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_05122021.htm
by Sarah Bauder | Apr 13, 2021 | CPI
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) edged up 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis, reported the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In February, it had risen 0.4%.
“The March 1-month increase was the largest rise since a 0.6% increase in August 2012. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.6 percent before seasonal adjustment.”
Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index rose by 2.6%, over the past 12 month period.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Energy Index
In March, the index of energy increased 5%. The index for gasoline rose 9.1%, “accounting for nearly half of the seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index”, stated the bureau. The electricity index remained unchanged, while the natural gas index rose 2.5%.
Over the last year, the index for energy increased 13.2%. Gasoline prices soared 22.5% since this time last year. Likewise, the natural gas index rose 9.8%, and the electricity index rose 2.5% over the past 12-month period.
Food Index
The index for food edged up 0.1% for the month. The food at home index edged up 0.1%, as did the index for food away from home by 0.1%, while two of the six major grocery store indexes saw percentage increases.
Since this time last year, the food at home index rose 3.3% and the food away from home index increased 3.7%.
“All six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the period, with increases ranging from 1.6 percent (dairy and related products) to 5.4 percent (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs),” explained the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
All Items Less Food and Energy
In March, the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3%. Several of the component indexes all saw increases over the month including the shelter index by 0.3%, and both the rent index and index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.2%.
Over the last 12 months, the all items less food and energy index increased 1.6%.
“Among the indexes rising more quickly were those for shelter (+1.7%), used cars and trucks (+9.4%), and medical care (+1.8%). Indexes that declined over the last 12 months include lodging away from home (-6.4%), airline fares (-15.1%), and apparel (-2.5%),” reported Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sources cited: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_04132021.htm
by Sarah Bauder | Mar 10, 2021 | CPI
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) edged up 0.4% in February, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index rose 1.7% since this time last year.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Energy Index
The index for energy increased 3.9% in February, continuing its upward trajectory. The price of gasoline was a primary component for the rise with a 6.4% increase reported the bureau. The indexes for electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil all rose, 0.7%, 1.6%, and 9.9%, respectively.
Over the last 12-month period, the energy index increased 2.4%. Gasoline prices increased 1.5%, as did the electricity index by 2.3%, and the natural gas index by 6.7%. Conversely, over the last 12-month span, the index for fuel oil dropped 0.5%.
Food Index
In February, the index for food rose 0.2%. The food at home index rose 0.3%, as did the index for food away from home by 0.1%.
“The food at home index increased 3.5% over the past 12 months. All six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the period, with increases ranging from 2.7% (both cereals and bakery products and dairy and related products) to 5.2% (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs). The index for food away from home rose 3.7% over the last year. The index for limited service meals rose 6.3% , the largest 12-month increase in the history of the index, which began in 1997. The index for full service meals rose 2.9% over the last 12 months,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics explained in its report.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
All Items Less Food and Energy
The all items less food and energy index edged up 0.1% for the month, reported the bureau. Several component indexes saw percentage increases including the shelter index by 0.2%, the owners’ equivalent rent index by 0.3%, and the rent index by 0.2%.
Over the last 12-month period the all items less food and energy index increased 1.3%.
“Among the indexes rising more quickly were those for used cars and trucks (+9.3%), medical care (+2.0%), and shelter (+1.5%),” stated the bureau.
By contrast, indexes that decreased over the last 12-month period include the indexes for airline fares by 25.6%, apparel by 3.6%, and motor vehicle insurance by 2.8%.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released a statement regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the February 2021 data collection:
“Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in February was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month.”
Source cited: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_03102021.htm
by Sarah Bauder | Feb 10, 2021 | CPI
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3% in January, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index increased 1.4% since this time last year.
Energy Index
In January, the index for energy rose 3.5%. The price of gasoline was the main contributor to the overall increase, with a percentage increase of 7.4%. In addition, the index for fuel oil also increased for the month by 5.4%.
Conversely, both the index for electricity and index for natural gas dropped in January, 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively.
“The energy index fell 3.6% over the past 12 months. Despite recent monthly increases, the gasoline index fell 8.6% over the last 12 months, and the fuel oil index fell 16.5%. The index for electricity, however, rose 1.5% over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas increased 4.3%,” stated U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Food Index
The index for food rose 0.1% in the month of January. The food at home index declined 0.1% as there were drops in four out six component grocery store food indexes. The index for food away from home increased 0.3%.
Over the last 12-month period, the food at home index has risen 3.7%. Moreover, the food away from home index also increased 3.9% since this time last year.
All Items Less Food and Energy
In January, the all items less food and energy index remained unchanged, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Several component indexes saw percentage increases in January including the shelter index at 0.1%, the apparel index at 2.2%, and the medical care index by 0.4%.
Conversely, component indexes that decreased for the month included the index for airline fares by 3.2%, the used cars and trucks index by 0.9%, and the index for new vehicles by 0.5%.
Over the last year, the all items less food and energy index increased 1.4%.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released a statement on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on January 2021 Consumer Price Index data:
“Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in January was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.”
Source cited: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_02102021.htm
by Sarah Bauder | Jan 13, 2021 | CPI
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) edged up 0.4% in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, reported the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a slight increase from the 0.2% rise seen in November.
Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index rose by 1.4%, over the past 12 month period.
(Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Energy Index
In December, the energy index increased by 4%, marking the seventh consecutive monthly percentage rise.
“The largest contribution to this increase was the gasoline index, which increased 8.4% in December after declining in the previous two months. Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 3.4% in December,” reported the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The electricity index also increased by 0.4%, while the natural gas index declined 0.8% for the month of December.
Over the last year, the index for energy decreased by 7%. The fuel oil index plummeted 20%, and likewise, gas prices plunged 15.2%. Conversely, the natural gas index rose 4.1%, and the index for electricity edged up 2.2% over the same 12-month period.
Food Index
The index for food rose 0.4% in December. The food at home index edged up 0.4%, as did the index for food away from home by 0.4%, while the major grocery store indexes were mixed.
Over the last 12-month period, the food at home index and the food away from home index both rose 3.9%. Additionally, all of the six major grocery store indexes saw percentage increases.
“The largest increase was the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index which rose 4.6% as the beef index increased 5.3%. The smallest increases were for the cereals and bakery products and the fruits and vegetables indexes, which both increased 3.2% over the last 12 months,” explained the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
All Items Less Food and Energy
In December, the index for all items less food and energy increased by 0.1%. Several of the component indexes all saw slight percentage increases for the month including the shelter index by 0.1%, and both the rent index and index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.1%.
Over the last 12 months, the all items less food and energy index increased 1.6%. The index for shelter edged up 1.8%. Component indexes that saw major percentage decreases were airline fares, apparel, motor vehicle insurance reported the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source cited: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_01132021.htm
