Longest federal government shutdown meant data was only collected for second half of November

US prices rose 2.7% in the year to November, according to federal data released a day after Donald Trump claimed they were falling “very fast” on his watch.

The latest consumer price index, released on Wednesday morning, was down from 3% in September, and short of economists’ expectations of about 3.1% for last month.

It comes amid questions over the strength of the US economy. The longest US federal government shutdown in history halted collection of key data. There was no inflation report for October, and data was only collected for the second half of November.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    US prices rose 2.7% in the year to November, according to federal data

    That seems fairly mild as inflation statistics go. Like, nevermind Trump being full of shit, I was under the impression cost of living was rising much faster.

    Given how the BLS operates, I’m forced to ask whether these figures are even accurate.

    • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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      8 hours ago

      It’s masked by the decline in energy prices, which are manipulated by oil-producing countries to achieve political outcomes: raise energy prices while Democrats are in power, lower them when Trump gets in. That makes it look like he’s made the economy better.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Some food more than others, certainly. Beef has been skyrocketing, thanks to the combination drought, disease, and heat wave.

        I haven’t seen much change on staples like rice and beans, though. We figured out how to produce eggs at scale again. No idea how this plays into inflation statistics, though.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Sure. But that’s a decades-old problem with much deeper roots than the current president.

        There’s a bigger gulf between Trump and Romney than Romney and Obama. Ds and Rs have largely been in alignment on housing and health care

        • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Healthcare is very much a Trump problem, and some have seen doubling of the price in December of the health insurance.

        • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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          2 days ago

          Ds and Rs have largely been in alignment on […] health care

          Tell me you never read the full plans for Obamacare without using those words.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            The full plans didn’t pass the Democrat majority controlled House or Senate.

            Max Baucus would be better attributed as the author of a "Obama"care, as it was his version of the bill that made it to a floor vote.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              9 hours ago

              The full plans didn’t pass the Democrat majority controlled House or Senate.

              As though jettisoning the public option wasn’t part of the plan.

              • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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                7 hours ago

                It wasn’t in the whitepapers Obama is supposed to get credit for. But the compromises and the rug pulls are never in the fine print.

    • UnspecificGravity@piefed.social
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      2 days ago

      I don’t know how they calculate this, but it seems like the expensive products went up a LOT more than 3% so even if that is the average across products it seems like my actual bill went up a lot more.

    • glimse@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Inflation covers everything* but not everything has gone up in price.

      • not literally everything but more than the essentials like groceries