> So whenever monthly inflation goes up, it's transitory, and when it doesn't, there is no inflation.
No, when consumer prices (not inflation) goes up, there is inflation, and when they don’t, as they have not (overall) in the last two months, there isn't. That’s the definition of inflation.
> Meanwhile, prices on a lot of things I buy doubled.
So... assuming that's over a 12-month period, there are some things that you buy that have been affected vastly more by inflation than even the highest overall sector of the CPI (fuel oil, +68.8% over 12 months.)
Not sure what general importance you want assigned to this or why.
The government changes the period of inflation as convenient. When inflation is rising rapidly, they push annual inflation figures. When inflation is moderating, they push monthly figures.
Inflation follows the money printing with a lag of around 13 months. The government just printed a trillion dollars to erase student loan debt. Get ready for another round of inflation. Also the "Inflation Reduction Act", another free-spending bill which will add another chunk to inflation.
> The government changes the period of inflation as convenient.
No, it doesn’t. At least, the present administration hasn't been.
> When inflation is rising rapidly, they push annual inflation figures. When inflation is moderating, they push monthly figures.
The present administration has been fairly consistently focusing on the monthly 12-month trailing figure, which has also been the headline number for, well, ever.
> Inflation follows the money printing with a lag of around 13 months.
Looking at the history of monetary policy changes, QE rounds, and monthly inflation rates, there’s absolutely no support for that at all.
That's just obvious enough that we might have already done it. We might, for instance, have looked at the inflation data 13 months after Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. And based on that data, we might have reached conclusions that are spectacularly different from yours.
If you want to convince us, you're going to have to do more than just say "look at the data" and repeat your previous point. Specifically what data are you looking at, and over what time frame, and how do you think it demonstrates your position?
The CPI is not calculated honestly. If you use the CPI tabulation from the 1970s inflation will be way higher than what the current govt statistics from BLS state. For example, Owner’s Equivalent Rent is used, not actual rent that many families are struggling to pay. In addition, the Fed’s core inflation number is ex food and energy prices, which is also misleading.
None of your argument supports that it isn't calculated honestly, just that you don't like the particular choices. And it doesn't help that you misrepresent them.
> For example, Owner’s Equivalent Rent is used, not actual rent that many families are struggling to pay.
Actual rent is used for renters. Owner’s equivalent rent (imputed rent) is used instead of asset purchase costs to assess the consumption cost of housing separate from the cost of acquiring a durable asset for homeowners.
> In addition, the Fed’s core inflation number is ex food and energy prices, which is also misleading.
The headline number is the full CPI, not core CPI. Core CPI is also reported, and may be used for some purposes by certain consumers of CPI data, but it's not the headline figure/main measure, so disagreement with its appropriateness as the main measure is fine, but a beating a strawman.
> For example, Owner’s Equivalent Rent is used, not actual rent that many families are struggling to pay.
This is simply false. Firstly CPI includes both rent and owners equivalent rent, weighted in proportion to the people that rent and own houses respectively. Secondly, OER is calculated based on estimates of current rental prices. Plus of course including OER rather than treating rent as something homeowners don't have to worry about tends to increase CPI when rents rise fast...
> In addition, the Fed’s core inflation number is ex food and energy prices, which is also misleading.
"Core inflation" is a separate time series to the CPI, clearly reported as an alternative measure excluding volatile energy and food prices to compare with CPI.
The only "misleading" is people ranting about how a separate dataset created specifically for comparison purposes proves dishonesty on the part of those calculating CPI...
No, when consumer prices (not inflation) goes up, there is inflation, and when they don’t, as they have not (overall) in the last two months, there isn't. That’s the definition of inflation.
> Meanwhile, prices on a lot of things I buy doubled.
So... assuming that's over a 12-month period, there are some things that you buy that have been affected vastly more by inflation than even the highest overall sector of the CPI (fuel oil, +68.8% over 12 months.)
Not sure what general importance you want assigned to this or why.