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

This episode of Inflation Explained drills into a single surprising data point: while headline CPI has cooled to 3.3% year-over-year as of April 2026, used car prices are bucking the trend and actually rising again. Lucas and Luna unpack why—blaming a perfect storm of constrained new-car supply, elevated lease returns, and a shift in consumer preference toward cheaper alternatives amidst sticky se...

Episode 31: Lucas and Luna dig into why service-sector inflation—things like rent, insurance, and medical care—is staying stubbornly high even as goods prices cool. With CPI at 332.4 and core PCE still above the Fed's target, they explore the 'sticky services' problem using real data from April 2026. Lucas explains how labor costs in services create a feedback loop that keeps inflation above 3%, a...

Episode 30 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into car insurance premiums—the inflation outlier that keeps climbing even as overall CPI cools. Lucas and Luna break down why auto insurance costs jumped 11% year-over-year, triple the headline inflation rate. They trace the drivers: repair costs from high-tech sensors, supply chain snags for parts, and a surge in distracted driving claims post-...

Episode 29 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into how Zillow's algorithmic rent pricing is quietly reshaping CPI's shelter component — and why your actual rent might not match the official numbers. With CPI at 332.4 and core CPI at 335.4, shelter inflation remains stubborn. They break down how automated pricing tools create a feedback loop that keeps rents elevated even as br...

Episode 28 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into a surprising new driver of consumer prices: dental care. While headline CPI has cooled to 3.2%, dental services inflation is running at 6.8% year-over-year — the fastest in decades. Lucas and Luna trace this to a triple whammy: consolidation among dental practice groups, a shortage of dental hygienists, and rising lab fees for crowns and imp...

The April JOLTS report showed 7.6 million job openings, the highest in nearly two years. Lucas and Luna unpack what this means for inflation: why a hot labor market keeps service prices elevated, how the Fed reads this data, and what it signals for rate cuts in the second half of 2026. They connect the surge to specific service categories like rent and insurance, and explain why the job market is...

In this episode of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna dig into a stubborn inflation puzzle: shelter costs. While headline CPI has cooled from its 2022 peaks, the 'shelter' component continues to rise at an annual rate above 5 percent. Lucas breaks down how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures rent and owners' equivalent rent, why there's a notorious lag of 12 to 18 months in official data, and...

Lucas and Luna explore the concept of 'double scar' — how the cumulative effect of past inflation shocks and current geopolitical events is reshaping consumer behavior and economic expectations. Using the latest April 2026 CPI data (332.4) and the Iran conflict's impact on energy costs ($450 extra per household), they discuss why official inflation numbers may understate the real burden on familie...

In Episode 24 of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna dig into the paradox of record gold prices alongside easing CPI. As of June 1, 2026, gold sits at $4,548 an ounce, up 2.3% in five days, while core PCE inflation has cooled to 3.3% annually. Lucas explains that gold is no longer just an inflation hedge—it's now a geopolitical risk premium, a hedge against fiscal instability, and a bet on central...

The Fed’s preferred inflation measure, Core PCE, came in at 3.3% annualized in April 2026. Lucas and Luna dig into why the Fed keeps leaning on PCE even as CPI tells a different story — and why that gap matters for your wallet. They unpack the statistical quirks: how PCE accounts for substitution effects, why it weights medical costs differently, and how the Iran conflict is gumming up energy comp...

Episode 22 of Inflation Explained: Lucas and Luna dive into the latest CPI data showing core inflation at 3.3% annualized in April 2026. They focus on a surprising driver: insurance premiums. Auto insurance alone is up over 20% year-over-year, and home insurance is surging due to climate-related losses. They explain how insurance costs feed into core CPI, why the Fed is watching this category clos...

In this episode of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna break down the complex ways the ongoing Iran conflict is driving a persistent energy inflation that the Fed's preferred core measures miss. They discuss recent data showing the average US household paying $450 more on gas and energy, and explain why this geopolitical shock creates a 'double scar' effect on consumer psychology. The hosts examin...

Inflation has been cooling, but one category keeps running hot: energy. Lucas and Luna dig into why gas prices aren't just a temporary shock anymore. They look at the April 2026 CPI data showing energy inflation stubbornly above 3%, and connect it to the Iran conflict's lasting impact on supply chains. The episode uses the $450 extra cost per household reported last week to ask whether energy is b...

The April 2026 core PCE reading came in at 3.3% annualised — matching expectations, but still above the Fed's target. Lucas and Luna unpack why the PCE index, which the Fed prefers over CPI, paints a different picture of inflation than the headline numbers consumers feel at the register. They examine the weights of housing, healthcare, and energy in each index, and explain why the gap between PCE...

Lucas and Luna dig into why auto, home, and health insurance premiums are rising faster than overall CPI — and why that matters for how the Fed reads inflation. Lucas points to a specific data point: motor vehicle insurance costs rose 11.2 percent year-over-year in the April CPI report, the biggest jump in decades. Luna asks whether the Fed's preferred PCE measure captures insurance differently, a...

This episode of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the gap between official CPI numbers and what Americans actually feel at the register. Lucas and Luna break down the April 2026 CPI reading of 332.4 and explore why the Fed's preferred core PCE gauge—which hit an annual rate of 3.3% today—tells a different story. They walk through the 'basket problem': how the Bureau of Labor Statistics up...

In this episode of Inflation Explained, Lucas and Luna dive into the paradox of airline ticket prices surging even as overall inflation moderates. With April CPI at 332.4 and gasoline costs easing, why are domestic fares up 14% year-over-year? Lucas breaks down the unique factors behind airline pricing—jet fuel hedges, capacity constraints, and the post-pandemic travel boom—and explains why the Bu...

Episode 15 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the growing gap between official CPI numbers and what Americans actually feel at the checkout. Lucas and Luna explain how the basket weights, substitution bias, and the latest consumer sentiment record low of May 2026 reveal a hidden inflation reality. They break down why your personal inflation rate might be 2 to 3 percentage points higher...

Lucas and Luna break down the Fed funds rate and how its ripple effects hit your mortgage, car loan, and credit card. With the fed funds rate stuck at 3.64%, they explain why the rate hasn't moved despite inflation cooling—and what that means for your borrowing costs. They walk through the transmission mechanism: from the Fed's interest on reserve balances to your bank's prime rate to the monthly...

Episode 13 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the widening gap between official CPI data and what households actually experience at the checkout counter. As of April 2026, headline CPI sits at 332.4, up about 0.6% from the prior month—a modest rise on paper. But consumer sentiment hit a record low in May, and surveys show many Americans feel inflation is running much hotter. Lucas and L...

Episode 12 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna unpack the latest CPI release for April 2026, focusing on one outlier category: lodging away from home, which jumped 2.1% month-over-month. They explain why hotels, motels, and Airbnb stays are tracked in core CPI, not the headline, and how a surge in business travel and a tight labor market for housekeeping staff are pushing rates hig...

Lucas and Luna break down why the price of streaming services has become a surprisingly accurate gauge of inflation psychology. With core CPI at 335.4 and consumer sentiment at a record low, they examine how companies like Netflix and Disney have shifted from growth-at-all-costs to steady price hikes — and why that matters more than the official numbers. Plus: what the Fed's flat interest rate on...

Episode 10 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the gap between official CPI data and what consumers feel at checkout. With the May 2026 consumer sentiment index hitting a record low and the Fed holding rates at 3.64%, hosts Lucas and Luna explore why even as headline inflation cools, items like eggs, car insurance, and rent continue to climb. They examine the 'sticky inflation' phenomeno...

Episode 9 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo dives into the surprising rebound in used car prices. With CPI at 332.4 and core CPI at 335.4, the overall inflation picture is cooling—but auto prices are bucking the trend. Lucas and Luna explore why the 2020-2021 supply chain shock still reverberates through the used car market, how the Iran conflict is disrupting global shipping and parts availabil...

Lucas and Luna dig into why inflation feels more painful than the official numbers suggest, especially with the Iran war rattling energy markets. They explain the gap between CPI and personal experience, why used car prices are spiking again, and what the record-low consumer sentiment data from May 2026 really means for your wallet. Specific numbers include the April CPI reading of 332.4, the 10-y...