With inflation trending down, the Federal Cost of Living Adjustment- (COLA) will be smaller in 2025 than in 2024. For 2024, the increase was 3.2% but beginning in January 2025 Social Security will get a smaller 2.5% increase. Although the most commonly quoted inflation statistic is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for some reason the government chooses to use the October print of the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) instead. Cynics say it was chosen because it tends to be about 1/10th percent lower than the CPI-U. In 2023, when inflation was much higher, Social Security received an 8.7% COLA. In 2022, the COLA was 5.9%. And … [Read more...]
October 2024 Inflation Up Slightly
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its October Inflation report on Wednesday November 13th showing Annual Inflation was up from 2.4% in September to 2.6% in October. (But since we calculate it to two digits, it was actually 2.44% in September and 2.60% in October.) On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, monthly inflation in September was 0.16% and fell to 0.12% in October but annual inflation rose because October 2023 was negative at -0.04%. Gold Prices: As I've been saying for a long time, gold is more of an uncertainty (or crisis) hedge than an inflation hedge. And apparently, the U.S. Election settled a lot of uncertainty. Spot gold peaked at $2,790 at the end of October and … [Read more...]
Navigating Economic Turbulence: How Inflationary Pressures Drive Payment Fraud Trends
This article is a bit beyond the scope of our typical article but is presented for those who want to delve into the murky waters of this issue. For a lighter look at scams and modern solutions, you might enjoy The Modern Day Wild West: Crypto Scams And Opportunities. ~Tim McMahon, editor. In an era of perpetually shifting economic landscapes, it is important for businesses and consumers alike to understand the nuances of inflationary pressures. As inflation distorts purchasing power, various vulnerabilities emerge and so fraudsters can exploit the emerging vulnerabilities, leading to sophisticated scams. Navigating these turbulent waters requires a keen understanding of the evolving … [Read more...]
May Inflation Falls to 4%
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI report released on June 13th, Annual Inflation declined from 4.9% in April to 4.0% in May. (but according to our calculations, it was from 4.93% to 4.05%.) Monthly inflation was 0.25% for May 2023, compared to 1.10% in May 2022. May 2023 Inflation Summary: Annual Inflation fell from 4.93% to 4.05% CPI Index rose from 303.363 to 304.127 Monthly Inflation for April was 0.25% Next release July … [Read more...]
What are “Sticky Prices” and Why Do They Matter?
What Is Price Stickiness? Price stickiness, aka. "Sticky prices" are prices that tend not to change very quickly. So, despite costs (or demand) going up, a business with "sticky prices" may not raise its prices for an extended period of time. In other words, sticky prices tend to change slowly despite changing underlying factors. Sticky prices are a key component of Macroeconomic theory. Why wouldn't a business raise prices if its costs are going up? You would think that most products and services would respond to the laws of supply and demand, i.e., when demand goes up, prices quickly follow. Or, when underlying costs rise a business would automatically raise its own prices to maintain … [Read more...]
January 2023 Inflation “Disappointing”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Annual Inflation fell from 6.45% in December 2022 to 6.41% in January 2023. Monthly inflation was much higher than expected for January, resulting in a much smaller loss than most experts predicted. With 0.84% monthly inflation for January set to fall out of the calculations, the opportunity for a significant drop in inflation was possible. Monthly inflation for both November and December was negative so it seemed possible that January inflation could be moderate, but instead, it came in at a whopping 0.80%, just 0.04% lower than January 2022, resulting in a minuscule 0.04% decline in the annual inflation rate. January Inflation … [Read more...]
February 2022 Inflation- 7.9%… Is 11% Next?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports February 2022 Inflation Hits Another Record High. Inflation Summary: Annual Inflation highest since January 1982. CPI Index rose from 281.148 to 283.716. Monthly Inflation for February was 0.91% The next release is on April 12th February 2022 Annual Inflation was 7.87%. Jan. 2021 -- 1.40% ** Jan. 2022 -- 7.48% ** Feb. 2022 -- 7.87% Inflation soared again in February 2022. The last time inflation was higher was in January 1982 when it was 8.39% but then it was declining from the March 1980 peak of 14.76%. Although we calculate it to two decimal places the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported February's inflation rate as 7.9%. BLS … [Read more...]
Emerging Technologies
The world today is driven by emerging technology and innovation. These technologies not only make our lives easier but also have resulted in a competitive business market. The adoption of emerging technologies and innovation in institutions has also strengthened management and governance across all business levels. However, with the numerous emerging technologies, you might be wondering which might be the best to explore. Below are some of the top emerging technologies that show growth opportunities. Internet of Things (IoT) IoT provides a network of embedded physical objects for people to connect and exchange data with other systems. This fuels efficiency in performance by lowering … [Read more...]
September Annual Inflation Down to 2.28%
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly Consumer Price Index report on October 11th 2018, for the 12 month period through the end of September. Annual Inflation is Down Annual inflation was down from 2.70% in August and 2.95% in July to 2.28% in September. CPI was 252.439 in September, 252.146 in August, 252.006 in July and 251.989 in June. Monthly Inflation for September was 0.12%, August was 0.06%, July was 0.01%, and June was 0.16% compared to 0.53% in September 2017. Next release November 14th Monthly Inflation: Annual inflation for the 12 months ending in September was 2.28% down from 2.70% in August. "The Consumer Price Index for All … [Read more...]
Zero Monthly Inflation, Annual Inflation UP
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Annual Inflation Rate data for the year through the end of November on December 13th 2017. Annual inflation was 2.20% in November up from 2.04% in October CPI-U up slightly from 246.663 to 246.669 Monthly Inflation for November 0.002% Next release January 12th Monthly Inflation is Essentially Zero If the annual inflation rate is negative that is called "deflation" (i.e. prices have gone down since the previous year) but whenever the monthly inflation rate is negative that is called "disinflation" (i.e. prices have gone down since the previous month). That is what happened in October 2017. This month the CPI-U … [Read more...]
