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Little Correlation Between Gasoline Prices and Inflation Until 2021In testimony to the Senate Banking Committee in March, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell stated that every $10 increase in a barrel of oil leads to a .2 percent increase in inflation. That is, oil is inextricably linked with inflation. Not just the direct cost to consumers for…
Child Poverty Rates Dropped Before Changes to Social Safety Net Could Take EffectA recent article in the New York Times and a research paper from Child Trends—a research organization focused on child welfare—highlighted the stark decline in child poverty driven by growth in the social safety net. From 1993 to 2019, child poverty has disappeared largely due to…
Massive Increase in Stock Short Positions Began Before PandemicMarch 11th of 2020 is when the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet months prior, short sellers would begin to take larger and larger short positions on stocks—effectively, a bet against the performance of a stock—prior to nationwide shutdowns…
Current CPI-PPI Spread Lowest in DecadesThe Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an average for the cost of goods to consumers that determines inflation or the relative value of currency. The Producer Price Index (PPI) is an average of prices received by domestic producers. Throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, PPI and CPI were…
