Inflation Explained with Fexingo: CPI, Prices, and the Cost of Living for Everyday People

Lucas and Luna dig into the June 2026 CPI report and find that the shelter category—the biggest chunk of the index—is understating real rent increases by roughly 2 percentage points. They explain how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures 'owners' equivalent rent' vs. actual market rents, why new leases are running 6% higher than a year ago while CPI shelter shows only 4% growth, and what this ga...

This episode of Inflation Explained with Fexingo dives into a surprising link: China's producer price index just hit a near-four-year high, even as its consumer prices barely budge. Lucas and Luna unpack how that factory-level inflation travels through supply chains to US store shelves, using the example of air conditioners — a product Europe can't quit, and one whose components show up in everyth...

Episode 105 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo: Car insurance premiums have jumped 22% in the past year, far outpacing headline CPI. Lucas and Luna break down why your auto policy costs more even if you haven't had an accident. They explore how repair costs, supply chain snarls for parts, and a surge in distracted driving claims are pushing rates higher. The hosts also tie in the latest labor mar...

Lucas and Luna unpack why the Fed's two percent inflation target may no longer fit the economy of 2026. With core PCE at 2.4% and the labor force participation rate at a 50-year low, they question whether the target was designed for a bygone era. They explore the history of the target, how it became dogma, and what a higher target—say three or four percent—could mean for workers, debt, and the hou...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation isn't just about higher prices—it's also about getting less for the same money. They focus on a specific, under-discussed form of shrinkflation: service quality cuts. From airlines reducing legroom and charging for bags, to streaming services adding ads to previously ad-free tiers, to banks eliminating free checking accounts and reducing branch...

Lucas and Luna dig into a startling disconnect in the May 2026 CPI data: official shelter inflation sits at 5.2% year over year, but private rent indexes from Apartment List and Zillow show true market-rate rents rising by 6.8% to 7.1%. Why does the government's number lag reality by 12 to 18 months? The answer lies in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey methodology, which tracks renewals for e...

Episode 101 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo takes on shrinkflation in 2026. Lucas and Luna dig into new data showing that while headline CPI inflation has moderated to around 2.4 percent, package sizes across grocery and household goods continue to shrink. They cite a recent consumer watchdog report that found 12 percent of supermarket products downsized in the past year while prices stayed fl...

In Episode 100 of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna explore a structural disconnect in the economy: inflation is falling for financial assets but staying stubbornly high for everyday goods and services. They walk through the latest CPI reading of 334.0 (up 0.5% from May) and core PCE at 130.1, while the S&P 500 sits near 7,500 and gold at $4,134. Using the concept of 'asset inflation vs. consume...

Episode 99 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo. Gold is up more than two percent in the last five days, trading above $4,100 an ounce, while the ten-year breakeven inflation rate sits at 2.24 percent. Lucas and Luna dig into why these two signals are diverging—and what that might mean for how inflation really feels. They look at the mechanics of breakeven rates versus hard assets, the role of real...

Episode 98 of Inflation Explained. Lucas and Luna dig into a strange divergence: the CPI is running at about 2.2 percent, but gold is up nearly 30 percent year-over-year and just crossed $4,139 an ounce. They explore what the commodity market is seeing that the consumer price index might be missing, from central bank buying to currency debasement fears to the limits of CPI's consumption basket. Wi...

In this episode of Inflation Explained with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a subtle but powerful form of inflation—service quality cuts. When companies shrink portion sizes, reduce cleaning frequency, or replace human workers with self-service kiosks, the price stays the same but you get less. Lucas breaks down how this 'hidden shrinkflation' in services like hotels, airlines, and restaurants isn...

CPI says rent is rising about 5 percent annually, but real market rents are climbing over 8 percent. Lucas and Luna dig into the Bureau of Labor Statistics' shelter methodology — specifically why owner's equivalent rent, a survey of what homeowners think they could charge, makes up nearly a quarter of CPI and systematically lags real-time data. They look at June 2026 market rent data from Apartmen...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the surprising divergence between cooling employment data and sticky inflation. With the June payrolls report showing just 57,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.2 percent, they ask: why isn't slower hiring translating into lower prices? They break down the labor force participation rate hitting a 50-year low outside of Covid, discuss how...

Episode 94 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into the gap between CPI's used car and truck index and the real prices buyers face in July 2026. With the S&P 500 near 7,483, gold at $4,187, and silver surging 8% in a week, the hosts ask: why does CPI show used car prices falling when auction data and dealer lots tell a different story? They trace the problem to CPI's hedonic qu...

In episode 93 of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna tackle a persistent frustration: why the official CPI says inflation is cooling at 2.3% while your actual expenses keep climbing. They unpack the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 'owners' equivalent rent' methodology — a survey that asks homeowners what they'd charge to rent their own place, rather than tracking real rents paid. With new data showing...

CPI says new-car prices rose 27% since 2020, but the average transaction price is up 34%. Lucas and Luna dig into the gap: why the government's methodology misses the cars people actually buy, how incentives and financing distort the numbers, and what that means for the Fed's inflation picture. They discuss the mix-shift problem—when buyers trade down to cheaper models, CPI sees disinflation even...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down a strange disconnect in the current economy: while the S&P 500 is sitting at 7,483 and the Fed's core PCE is running at 3.4 percent, the Fed funds rate is stuck at 3.63 percent. Consumers are seeing their cash savings earn barely 0.5 percent at big banks, while the stock market hits new highs. The hosts explain why banks don't pass along rate hikes to sav...

Episode 90 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into a bizarre inflation anomaly: in June 2026, the CPI for food at home rose 2.8% year-over-year while food away from home rose just 1.5%. That means cooking a burger yourself is now more expensive than ordering one. They explore why — from falling commodity costs to labor market stickiness, and what it says about where inflation...

Episode 89 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo: CPI, Prices, and the Cost of Living for Everyday People. Hosts Lucas and Luna dig into a disconnect that matters right now—why CPI shows inflation cooling while your paycheck seems to buy less every month. They anchor on the May 2026 CPI reading of 334.0 and the Fed's stubborn 3.63% rate, then zoom in on the labor market: Friday's jobs report showed...

Episode 88 of Inflation Explained looks at a quirk in how the Consumer Price Index tracks vehicle prices. The CPI data from May 2026 shows used car prices are finally falling, but new car prices are still climbing. Lucas and Luna break down the substitution bias in the CPI's methodology — how the index assumes consumers shift to cheaper options when prices rise, even when they can't. They cite rea...

In episode 87 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into the disconnect between official CPI inflation and the prices consumers actually experience. They anchor the conversation on a specific number: the May 2026 CPI reading of 334.0, which shows a modest 0.5% monthly increase. But behind that headline, they explore why your personal inflation rate might be much higher — especial...

Lucas and Luna dig into the surprising economics behind the delivery fee on your pizza order. By tracing the cost of a single large pepperoni pizza from 2019 to today, they show how labor shortages, minimum wage hikes, and shifting consumer behavior have quietly reshaped what you pay—and what the delivery driver actually keeps. Along the way, they connect this micro-example to the broader disconne...

Episode 85 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the gap between what landlords are charging and what the government's official rent index shows. Lucas breaks down the Bureau of Labor Statistics' tenant-based sampling method — which captures renewals, not new leases — and contrasts it with real-time Zillow data showing April 2026 asking rents jumped 6.8 percent year-over-year while CPI she...

Episode 84 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into a fresh inflation blind spot: the CPI's revamped used-car methodology. Lucas and Luna break down how the Bureau of Labor Statistics began weighting auction data differently in early 2026, and why that change may be masking the true price pain at dealerships. They anchor the conversation in the latest May CPI reading of 334.0, the 3.4% core P...

Episode 83 of Inflation Explained. Lucas and Luna dig into a persistent frustration for listeners: why their personal cost of living keeps rising faster than official CPI numbers suggest. The hosts anchor on the May 2026 core PCE reading of 3.4 percent — the highest since October 2023 — and contrast it with the CPI's 334.0 index level. They explore how the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 'owners' equi...