The CPI was better than expected but sticky data is problematic.
Six CPI Food Categories Month-Over-Month
Month-Over-Month Food Details
- Food at Home: +0.0 Percent
- Food Away from Home: +0.4 Percent
- Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs: +1.6 Percent
- Dairy: -1.0 Percent
- Cereals: +0.4 Percent
- Fruits and Vegetables: -0.5 Percent
- Nonalcoholic Beverages: +0.0 Percent (the 2.2 was last month)
The price of eggs rose 15.2 percent last month and another 10.4 percent this month.
Food is 13.68 percent of the CPI. Eggs are only 0.2 percent.
CPI Food at Home vs Away from Home Year-Over-Year
CPI Food Categories Year-Over-Year
Food Details Year-Over-Year
- Food at Home: +1.9 Percent
- Food Away from Home: +3.7 Percent
- Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs: +7.7 Percent
- Dairy: +0.8 Percent
- Cereals: +0.3 Percent
- Fruits and Vegetables: -0.2 Percent
Food away from home is understated if you include suggested tip rates that are soaring out of sight.
Please get a freezer if you don’t have one and buy what is on sale and store it.
For seniors, Albertsons and Safeway offer 10% off on the first Wednesday of every month, and that is on top of what is on sale. Take advantage. We save hundreds of dollars this way.
The CPI Is a Bit Better than Expected in February on Decline in Gasoline
Yesterday, I commented The CPI Is a Bit Better than Expected in February on Decline in Gasoline
Economists expected a 0.3 percent rise and the BLS reported 0.2 percent, as gasoline prices fell 1 percent and airline fares fell 4 percent.
But shelter rose 0.3 percent, and it is sticky. Gasoline and airline fares aren’t. Moreover, falling gasoline and airline fares go hand in hand with an economic slowdown.
Looking closer at energy, the price of electricity was up 1.0 percent and natural gas 2.5 percent. So this was not at all a great report.
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