Comments on: The magic of seasonal adjustments: You’re paying less for gas

By: One Man Standing

One Man Standing — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:58:30 +0000

Finally people are writing about what everybody knew a long time ago. But it shows how ridiculas US stats actually are – have you noticed at the way everything that points to higher inflation/ unemployment or lower productivity is smoothed out? Luckily my wages/salary is not set by the goverment’s inflation figures. By the way – not all economists smooth out the numbers. http://www.onemanstanding.com

By: Osama Sayed

Osama Sayed — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:17:59 +0000

And according to ‘seasonally adjusted’ energy prices, there would be a ‘seasonally adjusted’ food and durable goods prices, commodities prices are soaring, it’s the way to a global recession.

By: cristina

cristina — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:40:40 +0000

I am paying $4.25 a gallon, and have been paying over $4.00 for a few months. I live on Maui, in Hawaii.

By: azmat

azmat — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:22:28 +0000

leave it to ‘economists’ >> up is down and down is out. actually they do this with many other things — they call them “adjustments”. One that still has me in awe is their ‘hedonic’ pricing adjustment. I cant believe it – if anyone has some info please share: A $2000 PC toay performs just as well (MIPS etc) as a $200K minicomputer did 20 years ago; so the economists think that the $2000 PC is really ‘worth’ a $200K minicomputer. That is how we get all messed up.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:11:47 +0000

Any time I read the words ‘seasonally adjusted’ its time to turn the page, fast. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also perps a fiction of ‘core inflation’ at 2.4%, which EXCLUDES food and energy prices. The overall rate is about 4%! Lets get this straight, these ivory-tower types don’t use food-on-the-table or gas-in-the-tank prices to add up their bogus numbers! They should be made to visit a real supermarket every week and fill their own ga$ at the self-serve. If we put a BS detector (telescreen) in those offices, the battery would die inside of an hour.

By: iheardthisbefore

iheardthisbefore — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:42:09 +0000

The US government “unemployment” numbers in addition to
other “official” statistics are similarly grossly flawed.

It is SO bizarre….but, then look who we have in the
White House, calling the shots with regard to economic
“non”policy, “non”diplomacy, etc.

God help us all….

Maybe things will change after November elections.

By: Philippe

Philippe — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:27:41 +0000

Well, thanks for putting that in writing. I bet the same magic operates elsewhere, isn’t it ?

For the time being, the market seems to believe these adjustements. Or to fail understanding what this means.

I have no idea where the BLS buys its gas, but I fear it’s borrowing some ideas from Orwell’s Ministery of Truth…