Everyone from Main Street to Wall Street watches the inflation numbers. If the numbers are going up, we assume the Federal Reserve will take action. With so much riding on the veracity of the numbers, it was vital that a full review of their accuracy be instituted.
Accordingly, a Congressional Advisory Commission on the consumer price index (CPI), chaired by Michael Boskin, was formed. After study, the commission reported that the CPI overstated the change in the cost of living by about 1.1 percentage points per year. This number seems small, but compounded over time, the effects are enormous. For example, instead of falling 13 percent, real hourly wages actually rose by 13 percent from 1973 to 1995. (more…)