Reading the economy during an election
Read employment and inflation statistics without confusing reporting periods or forecasts.

Inflation, employment, wages, growth and markets measure different things. BLS releases identify reporting periods, seasonal adjustments and revisions; publication day is not the month being measured.
Our CPI inflation calculation compares the latest index with the same month one year earlier. Campaign promises are not economic forecasts. The red-arrow illustration does not describe real market performance or predict 2028 conditions.