QUICK AND DIRTY FORECASTS OF THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX — HOW DIRTY?

Many economists find it necessary to forecast inflation locally or nationally based on the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) value before the figures are released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is no regular “official release date,” although the BLS usually targets the 20th of each month to publish the CPI for the previous month. The official annual CPI value (the mean of the twelve months) is therefore not available until January 20 of the next year. This initial figure is often revised later as additional information becomes available.