headline inflation

noun

economics

: a measure of inflation that is based on an unadjusted price index

… but core inflation has indeed been a much more reliable guide than headline inflation, which fluctuates wildly.

—Paul Krugman

compare core inflation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The drop in headline inflation is welcome news for an economy wracked by soaring prices for several years. —Joseph Lawler, Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2023

Now, with oil prices surging once again, headline inflation could remain elevated for longer or even rise. —Bryan Mena, CNN, 8 Apr. 2023

After a costly year of inaction in which headline inflation surged to 40-year highs, the Fed finally made a U-turn almost exactly a year ago and began to raise interest rates in a bid to slow the economy and bring inflation down. —Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Mar. 2023

So headline inflation hasn’t fallen sufficiently, and service inflation remains elevated, hence the Fed’s worry. —Simon Moore, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023

This week, the European Commission lowered its outlook for headline inflation as a result. —Julia Horowitz, CNN, 17 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above