Although inflation is much feared for its negative effects on the economy, how to measure it is a matter of considerable debate that has important implications for interest rates, monetary supply, and investment and spending decisions. Underlying many of these issues is the concept of the Cost-of-Living Index (COLI) and its controversial role as the methodological foundation for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Price Index Concepts and Measurements brings together leading experts to address the many questions involved in conceptualizing and measuring inflation. They evaluate the accuracy of COLI, a Cost-of-Goods Index, and a variety of other methodological frameworks as the bases for consumer price construction.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the principal measure of trends in consumer prices and inflation. The CPI affects Federal revenues and spending because automatic cost-of-living adjustments to Fed. tax brackets and many Federal benefit programs are calculated based on changes in the CPI. In Dec. 1996, the Boskin Comm. (BC) issued a report estimating that the CPI overstates changes in the cost of living by 1.1% points annually. This report identifies the changes made to the CPI since Dec. 1996, and presents the opinions of the 5 former BC members on how much of the bias in the CPI that the BC estimated in its report remains after recent changes to the CPI.

The consumer price index (CPI) measures the rate at which prices of consumer goods and services change over time. It is used as a key indicator of economic performance, as well as in the setting of monetary and socio-economic policy such as indexation of wages and social security benefits, purchasing power parities and inflation measures. This manual contains methodological guidelines for statistical offices and other agencies responsible for constructing and calculating CPIs, and also examines underlying economic and statistical concepts involved. Topics covered include: expenditure weights, sampling, price collection, quality adjustment, sampling, price indices calculations, errors and bias, organisation and management, dissemination, index number theory, durables and user costs.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, published by the U.S. Government and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in early 2011, is the official government report on the United States financial collapse and the review of major financial institutions that bankrupted and failed, or would have without help from the government. The commission and the report were implemented after Congress passed an act in 2009 to review and prevent fraudulent activity. The report details, among other things, the periods before, during, and after the crisis, what led up to it, and analyses of subprime mortgage lending, credit expansion and banking policies, the collapse of companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the federal bailouts of Lehman and AIG. It also discusses the aftermath of the fallout and our current state. This report should be of interest to anyone concerned about the financial situation in the U.S. and around the world.THE FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION is an independent, bi-partisan, government-appointed panel of 10 people that was created to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." It was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. The commission consisted of private citizens with expertise in economics and finance, banking, housing, market regulation, and consumer protection. They examined and reported on "the collapse of major financial institutions that failed or would have failed if not for exceptional assistance from the government."News Dissector DANNY SCHECHTER is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker. He has been reporting on economic crises since the 1980's when he was with ABC News. His film In Debt We Trust warned of the economic meltdown in 2006. He has since written three books on the subject including Plunder: Investigating Our Economic Calamity (Cosimo Books, 2008), and The Crime Of Our Time: Why Wall Street Is Not Too Big to Jail (Disinfo Books, 2011), a companion to his latest film Plunder The Crime Of Our Time. He can be reached online at www.newsdissector.com.

Measure business interruption losses with confidence You hope for the best and plan for the worst. It’s your job. But when the unimaginable happens, are you truly prepared for those business interruption losses? Measuring Business Interruption Losses and Other Commercial Damages is the only book in the field that explains the complicated process of measuring business interruption damages after you’ve been hit by the unexpected, whether the losses are from natural or man-made disasters, or whether the performance of one company adversely affects the performance of another. Understand the methodology for how lost profits should be measured Deal with the many common types of cases in business interruption lawsuits in commercial litigation Take a look at exhibits, tables, and graphs Benefit from updated data, case studies, and case law references Don’t get caught off guard. Get ahead of planning for measuring your interruption losses before disaster strikes.