A Daily Inflation Index

Abstract

A index that closely approximates the rate of inflation in consumer prices has been constructed from eight components that are available daily. The index has been compiled monthly from January 1968 through June 1990, with the results shown in Figure 1. The Daily Inflation Index includes the prices of foods, textiles, metals and oil as quoted in the commodity markets and also an index of dollar exchange rates, the Treasury bill rate, a price index for utility stocks, and the price of gold. The index accounts for 84 percent of the variation in the CPI inflation rate from 1968 to 1990 and is expected to be used as an independent measure of inflationary trends. In essence, the Daily Inflation Index is designed to measure the market assessment of inflation and should provide hedgers, traders, and consumers with timely information about inflation.