Canada’s inflation rate decelerated to 3.4 per cent in the year up to May, Statistics Canada said Tuesday, led by sharply lower gasoline prices. But beneath the headline slowdown in consumer prices, many facets of the cost of living are still increasing at an eye-watering pace. Grocery prices went up at an almost nine per cent pace.
I agree that the basket of goods should change, but it’s also weird that they’ve been changing it every year that they’ve been worried about runaway inflation.
It normally changes every few years. Not every year for the last 3.
To me it makes perfect sense that they are more granular during times when volatility is up and inflation is a concern. Otherwise everyone would be (rightfully) complaining that they are using outdated models when inflation needs to be gotten under control.
Besides, the new weighting is public. It didn’t change all that much. I’m not going to run the numbers but the napkin math says 1) it wouldnt significantly change the headline rate and 2) it wouldnt change what we take away: it’s artificially lowered by volatile items like gasoline, and underlying consistent categories are still too hot for the BoC. So while it’s true that the headline rate is “bullshit”, it’s not because they changed the weighting.
Basket of goods changes when the goods people are buying changes.
Basket of goods might have included lobster when lobster was a cheap source of protein, but it sure as hell isn’t going to include lobster today.