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	The Handbook of Key Economic Indicators:
	Economic-Indicators.Com

NEW!  Economic-Indicators.Com has obtained the CPI-U-Research Series from the Bureau of Labor of Labor Statistics.  These series are recalculated over the 1978-1998 period to incorporate over the entire time period the methodology changes to the CPI.  Official CPI data only "carry forward" methodology changes and are not consistent time series over long time horizons.  The CPI-U-Research series data are not seasonally adjusted and must be "linked" with the corresponding official CPI-U series because of different base periods.  Economic-Indicators.Com will soon provide seasonally adjusted series based on seasonal adjustment recommendations from the BLS.  Only a select number of aggregated CPI-U-Research series are available.  Available are series for the major expenditure groups, total CPI, CPI excluding food and energy ("core CPI"), and commodity group series for food and for energy.  The BLS also created a recalculated series for the former Entertainment category since the new Recreation category only starts in 1998.

Statistical agencies are making greater use of the CPI-U-R series.  Already, the BEA is using the CPI-U-R data to deflate nominal PCEs within GDP as seen in the 1999 benchmark revisions to GDP.  The BLS is now using these CPI series to derive its measure of real hourly compensation within the productivity and costs report.

To download all available CPI-U-R series, please click the following link.  Full discussion of historical methodology changes in the CPI can be found in the CPI chapter in Handbook of Key Economic Indicators, Second Edition.
 

CPI-U-Research Series in Excel 5.0/95 format.

To read more about the CPI-U-Research Series, go to the Technical Papers page on Economic-Indicators.Com and download the paper from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 

Technical Articles and Papers of Interest on Economic Indicator Methodologies and Analysis Over Business Cycles

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