Without looking at inflation-adjusted prices it is difficult to see where gasoline prices actually stand. Back in 1918 gasoline was $0.25 a gallon and by 1932 prices had fallen to 18 cents a gallon! But as we all know over the last 100 years the purchasing power of the dollar has fallen drastically so in order to get the true picture we can’t just say that the lowest price of gas was 18 cents per gallon, we need to adjust the price for inflation. When adjusting for inflation there are two prices… the first is called the “nominal price” and that is the actual price you would have paid for gas at the pump. The key price though is the inflation-adjusted price which calculates what the price would have been if we were spending current dollars on a specific date. In this case, we are basing our calculations on the value of a dollar in January 2020.
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February 2024 Inflation Up Slightly
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI report released on March 12th, Annual Inflation was up from 3.1% in January 3.2% in December. (but since we calculate it to two digits, it was actually 3.09% in January and 3.15% in February.) Monthly inflation was 0.54% in January and 0.62% in February. Typically inflation is highest in the first quarter of the year, so these numbers are not that unusual. In January 2023 monthly inflation was 0.80%, so annual inflation was lower in 2024 but … [Read More...]
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Inflation, High Inflation, and Hyperinflation
The following article was written by Dr. Thorsten Polleit and was originally published in October 2022. Since then, inflation has come down significantly, but his analysis is still valid. Dr. Polleit is Chief Economist of Degussa Bank and an Honorary Professor at the University of Bayreuth. He also acts as an investment advisor. ~Tim McMahon, […]
January 2024 Annual Inflation Down Despite High Monthly Inflation
January Annual inflation was down, even though monthly inflation was over 1/2%. Half percent for 12 months would be 6% annualized but the first quarter is always the highest and January 2023 was 0.80%. Energy prices declined over the year while the big increases came from the service sector and Food away from home (which incidentally is simultaneously both a product and a service).
Industries Most Affected by Inflation: Insights from the Global Supply Chain
Inflation has rocked the world in recent years. The pandemic, global conflict, and dramatic changes in consumer spending caused inflation to spike to 11.1% worldwide before retreating.
High inflation rates are, of course, bad for consumers. However, unpredictable inflationary pressures can also have a devastating effect on businesses. Entire industries suffered significant setbacks due to the supply-side issues that drove up costs and squeezed firms’ profit margins.
Have Wages Kept Up with Inflation in 2023?
On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released their quarterly report on “Employment Costs”. Based on that report wages and salaries increased 4.1% from December 2022 to December 2023. We have to remember that according to the BLS, annual inflation in December 2023 was 3.35%. So, based on that criteria wages increased significantly more than actual inflation.
Inflationary Expectations Do Not Cause Inflation
Contrary to popular economic thinking, inflation is not about increases in prices but about increases in the money supply. Thus, inflationary expectations in the absence of increases in money supply cannot cause a general increase in the prices of goods and services.
Inflation Adjusted Gasoline Prices
Inflation Rate of Electricity Prices
Electricity Price Inflation Residential electricity prices in the U.S. have risen from an average of 7.83 cents per kilowatthour in 1990 to an average of 11.44 cents per kwh in 2010. This is a 46% increase in 20 years and sounds like a lot but as you can see from the chart below for many years[Read More…]
Inflation Adjusted NYSE Index
Source: inflationdata.com | NYSE Index Inflation Commentary To Print this Chart: When Printer dialog box appears be sure to switch to Landscape mode Note: Please feel free to link to this page but not to the image itself as the image may be renamed (or deleted) when it is updated but the page URL will[Read More…]
Inflation Adjusted Natural Gas Prices
By looking at the Inflation-adjusted natural gas prices we are better able to determine the trend and how prices actually compare to previous times. Speaking of natural gas prices… why are residential natural gas prices so cyclical? And why are they higher when the least amount is being used i.e. in the Summer?
Inflation Adjusted Housing Prices
Inflation Adjusted Real Estate Prices- Lets take a look at the idea that housing prices always go up. Of course, each neighborhood is different, so some neighborhoods might be going down while a few miles away housing prices are skyrocketing but by looking at the nationwide average we can get a better picture of the overall trend. The St. Louis Federal Reserve publishes the following chart that shows the S&P/Case Shiller National Home Price Index and by adjusting those prices for inflation we can get a better picture of how real estate prices really act. Is a home a good investment or not?
Inflation Adjusted Bonds
Inflation Indexed Bonds Performance- U.S. Treasury Inflation indexed bonds are supposed to protect you from the ravages of inflation while providing a safe and decent rate of return on your money. Obviously, since safety is generally inversely proportional to risk, if inflation indexed bonds are very safe you would expect the rate of return to be[Read More…]