core inflation

noun

economics
: a measure of inflation that excludes items having volatile prices (such as fuel and food) from the price index being used
The Federal Reserve's past emphasis on core inflation, which strips food and energy from the price indexes in order to gauge the underlying trend of prices, has always confused both Wall Street and Main Street.James C. Cooper
compare headline inflation

Examples of core inflation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Investors will be keeping a close eye on core inflation data coming out on Thursday, which excludes food and energy prices. Sean Conlon,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025 Today’s numbers keep us on track for a rate cut in September, but there’s significant uncertainty after that given the strong consumer and core inflation well above the Fed’s target. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025 Moreover, last month’s consumer price index came back cooler than feared but still hinted at underlying tension as core inflation ticked above 3%. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2025 Yet some say that with core inflation notably above 2% and rising, the Fed will postpone that decision. Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for core inflation

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of core inflation was in 1979

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Cite this Entry

“Core inflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/core%20inflation. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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