Prices, Inflation, and Unemployment

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The Producer Price Index for dropped 0.6 for finished goods and rose 0.2 percent for intermediate goods, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Here's the monthly percent changes in the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods, seasonally adjusted:

And here's the monthly percent changes in the Producer Price Index for Intermediate Goods, seasonally adjusted:

You can read the full report here

Combine the PPI data with the Consumer Price Index data released earlier--the CPI rose 0.2 percent in September, and has fallen 1.3 percent over the last 12 months on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the BLS--and it doesn't look like inflation is an issue at this point.  James Hamilton suggests that we take a look at the price data in the context of high unemployment.  And he concludes "the Federal Reserve is correct in thinking that high levels of unemployment are a factor that will put downward pressure on inflation over the next two years."  He breaks down the relationship between unemployment and inflation at Econbrowser.  Take a look here.


Posted 10-21-2009 8:41 AM by Graham Griffith
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