The stunning small print in this week's inflation report that proves Trump has lost the plot on the US economy

[edbermac]

President Donald Trump says America is living through a new ‘Golden Age’ — and that he is bringing prices down ‘very fast’.

On the surface, the headline number in Thursday’s inflation report appeared to back him up.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said inflation rose 2.7 percent in November, less than expected and well below the 3.1 percent figure investors had feared.

But buried deep in the small print is a very different story — one that explains why so many Americans still feel poorer, more anxious, and unconvinced by the White House’s economic victory lap.

From grocery staples to energy bills and car repairs, many of the items Americans actually spend money on are seeing double-digit price rises over the past year — often far faster than the headline figure suggests.

Instant coffee prices are up a staggering 24.2 percent, and roasted coffee up 18.4 percent. Ground beef is up 14.9 percent, while beef roasts have jumped 21.2 percent. Utility gas bills have climbed 9.1 percent, and electricity costs are up 6.9 percent.

These are not luxury purchases. They are everyday staples.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-15397501/trump-economy-inflation-report.html

[ret5hd]

1. uhhhmmm...a lower inflation rate DOES NOT mean...

prices are going down.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Well, it's the Daily Mail. They know their readers don't get arithmetic. nt

[Wiz Imp]

7. Correct. The inflation rate dropping from 3.0% in September

to 2.7% in November does not mean prices are dropping. It means prices are going up at a slightly slower rate, but they are still increasing. If prices were going down, the inflation rate would be negative.

The 20 categories with the highest increase in prices over the year:
Instant coffee | 24.2 %
Uncooked beef roasts | 21.2 %
Coffee | 18.8 %
Roasted coffee | 18.4 %
Beef and veal | 15.8 %
Uncooked other beef and veal | 15.5 %
Uncooked ground beef | 14.9 %
Uncooked beef steaks | 14.7 %
Beverage materials including coffee and tea | 12.1 %
Frozen fish and seafood | 11.6 %
Fuel oil | 11.3 %
Care of invalids and elderly at home | 10.8 %
Audio equipment | 10.2 %
Candy and chewing gum | 10.1 %
Motor vehicle repair | 9.7 %
Tax return preparation and other accounting fees | 9.2 %
Utility (piped) gas service | 9.1 %
Meats | 8.9 %
Delivery services | 8.9 %
Subscription and rental of video and video games | 8.5 %

The 20 categories with the largest drops in prices over the year:
Eggs | -13.2
Smartphones | -9.4
Televisions | -7.3
Pork chops | -6.3
Propane, kerosene, and firewood | -5.9
Dishes and flatware | -5.9
Other lodging away from home including hotels and motels | -5.7
Women's underwear, nightwear, swimwear, and accessories | -5.5
Airline fares | -5.4
Computer software and accessories | -5.3
Telephone hardware, calculators, and other consumer information items | -5.2
Ship fare | -5.1
Oranges, including tangerines | -4.8
Peanut butter | -4.6
Butter | -4.4
Citrus fruits | -4.3
Lodging away from home | -4.1
Frozen vegetables | -4
Public transportation | -4
Sewing machines, fabric and supplies | -3.9

[Lonestarblue]

9. I get a daily email from Bloomberg summarizing financial issues.

This morning’s newsletter cast a lot of skepticism about the report. I do not believe anything coming from this administration.

From the newsletter:

“This one-of-a-kind report produced anomaly after anomaly, almost all pointing in the same direction. I think it would be unwise to dismiss the results entirely, but I also believe it would be rash to take them at face value.”

Stephen Stanley
Chief US economist, Santander US Capital Markets

[Botany]

2. So coffee, beef, and natural gas are all going up?

Must be Joe Biden’s fault. Maybe some new tariffs might help along with farmers
plowing their fields back under and reducing the size of their livestock and poultry
herds.

[gab13by13]

3. Most respected economists have said to take these inflation reports

with a salt shaker of salt.

The tell is to look at how the bond market reacted, not the stock market.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

4. Maybe... this IS their plot?

[Historic NY]

6. The part of Nov wasn't included

The culprit, several economists say, is the extended government shutdown, which disrupted the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ ability to collect price data throughout October and into November. When data collection resumed in mid-November, the agency was unable to retroactively gather missing information. Instead, it relied on statistical assumptions—often “carrying forward” previous prices—that effectively treated some categories as if inflation had stopped altogether.





https://fortune.com/2025/12/18/inflation-report-october-2025-shutdown-distorted-diane-swonk/]

[Warpy]

8. Worse, his highness only knows what people are willing to tell him

and since his early dementia has him going from 0 to snot slinging fury in 0 seconds, no one is willing to tell him the truth.

Bottom lne, he thinks he's doing a great job, that everything is wonderful. It's up to us to tell him and his rotten party otherwise and throw the bums out.

[wiggs]

10. I've only seen terrible reporting and analysis on inflation, even on outlets that are not Fox. No one mentions

the terrible economic situation the world found itself in during covid. No one mentions that inflation started going up during TSF's first term, before Biden. No one mentions that we avoided a certain recession during Biden's administration and that inflation was declining, or that our economy outperformed most of the developed world during Biden. No one mentions that it may take a while for inflation to catch up with all the tariff nonsense and that one reason prices aren't going up as fast as anticipated because economic outlook is bad and people aren't spending as much...and in fact they are going into debt. Less demand may be keeping prices low.

For lots of reasons most people are concerned about the economy but all we hear is inflation was high under Biden and steady under TSF. Frustrating.