Description
Purpose of Assignment
This assignment will introduce students to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and provide students with the skills to calculate inflation and interpret the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Note: The BLS is the primary source of information on inflation, but their data is re-posted in other sources, such as the St. Louis Federal Reserve FRED site, among others.
Assignment Steps
Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.
Use an internet search or the University Library to locate information on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Internet sites you might find useful include the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Federal Reserve of St. Louis FRED web site although you are allowed to use other sources.
Develop a minimum 700-word analysis of inflation by including the following:
- Choose a product or service you currently consume/use, such as apparel or educational services, that is included in the CPI's "market basket." Find the annual CPI index numbers for your chosen good or service for the years 1995, 2005, 2010, and 2015. Enter those index numbers in an Excel® file and calculate the percent change (inflation rates) in those index numbers from 1995 to 2005, from 1995 to 2010, and from 1995 to 2015.
- Analyze the trends in overall inflation over the last five years and whether your income has kept pace with inflation. How has inflation over the last five years affected you and/or your family?
- Discuss how a business manager, such as a human resources manager, might use CPI statistics.
Cite a minimum of three scholarly, peer-reviewed references.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.
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Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running Head: INFLATION AND PRICE ANALYSIS
Inflation and Price Analysis
Name
Course
Tutor
Date
1
INFLATION AND PRICE ANALYSIS
2
Introduction
In financial terms, a rise is the increment of the prices of everyday consumer goods
without a corresponding increase in income for the average citizen. In the United States, the
inflation rate is measured by the application of a Consumer Product Index. The CPI index
between the years 1995 and 2015 for NIKE, an apparel company in the country has been
discussed and attached in the excel document accompanying this assignment (Company Profiles:
nd).
Analyzing inflation trends in the last five years
According to the CPI Index, in this case, the inflation rates have been fluctuating if data
provided herein is anything to go by. The year 2010 represents a meager 1% increase in earning
valuation when compared to the year2009. At this period, the country was considered to be
recovering from the impact of the global recession that was observed in the year 2008 this may
occur due to proper economic strategy implementation by the country and also reduced the
fluctuation of the state's currency. Surprisingly, the change observed increased to an impressive
3% under the circumstances one year later. As for the subsequent years, results obtained for the
value of earnings as compared to the prices of essential consumer goods varied from year to year
and were represented by the values 2%, 1%,1% and 0% for the years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
(Csimarket.com. 2017).
According to the above statistics at the beginning of every financial year t...