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A Dynamic Measure of Inflation

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  • Ricardo Reis

Abstract

This paper shows that conventional measures of cost-of-living inflation, based on static models of consumption, suffer from two problems. The first is an intertemporal substitution bias, as these measures neglect the ability of consumers to borrow and lend in response to price changes. The second problem is the omission of intertemporal prices, which capture relevant relative prices for a consumer who lives for many periods. The paper proposes a dynamic price index (DPI) that solves these problems. Theoretically, it shows that the DPI is forward-looking, responds by more to persistent shocks, includes assets prices, and distinguishes between durable and non-durable goods' prices. A constructed DPI for the United States from 1970 to 2008 differs markedly from the CPI, it is close to serially uncorrelated, it is mostly driven by the prices of houses and bonds, and is twice as high as the CPI in 2008.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Reis, 2005. "A Dynamic Measure of Inflation," NBER Working Papers 11746, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11746
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    Cited by:

    1. Wojciech Charemza & Imran Husssain Shah, 2013. "Stability price index, core inflation and output volatility," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(8), pages 737-741, May.
    2. Mojmir Hampl & Tomas Havranek, 2017. "Should Inflation Measures Used by Central Banks Incorporate House Prices? The Czech Approach," Working Papers IES 2017/12, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Jul 2017.
    3. Tomas Havranek & Mojmir Hampl, 2017. "Should Inflation Measures Used by Central Banks Incorporate House Prices? The Czech National Bank's Approach," Research and Policy Notes 2017/01, Czech National Bank.
    4. Ivan Sutoris, 2020. "The Intertemporal Cost of Living and Dynamic Inflation: The Case of the Czech Republic," Working Papers 2020/9, Czech National Bank.
    5. Gregor W. Smith, 2009. "The Missing Links: Better Measures of Inflation and Inflation Expectations in Canada," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 287, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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