Explained · in 60 seconds
Inflation, explained in 60 seconds
YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com) loads the video only when you click; Google then receives your IP address. Privacy · Watch on YouTube
What is inflation?
Inflation means your money buys less than before. The inflation rate measures by how many percent a fixed basket of goods and services has become more expensive than a year earlier.
How does the price basket work?
Every month statisticians record the prices of thousands of goods and services – from rent and groceries to gasoline – and weight them by how much households spend on them on average. That is why rent counts far more than gasoline.
Why does my inflation feel different?
Because nobody buys exactly the average basket. If you drive a lot, rising gas prices hit you harder; in the official number gasoline is only a small part.
The latest figure
In September 2026 US consumer prices were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, 2.6% excluding food and energy (BLS).
The figures: US inflation rate · Germany inflation rate · Euro area inflation rate
Frequently asked questions
What is a good inflation rate?
Most major central banks, including the Fed and the ECB, aim for about 2% over the medium term.
What is core inflation?
The inflation rate without food and energy, whose prices swing a lot.
DESK is a research tool and not investment advice. Figures: official sources, see the linked data pages.
More figures and explainers
US inflation rate · US unemployment rate · Fed funds rate · ECB interest rate · US crude oil inventories · EUR/USD exchange rate · US GDP growth · Germany inflation rate · Euro area inflation rate · 10-year Treasury yield · Gold price · FOMC meeting dates · ECB meeting dates
How the Fed sets interest rates, explained · Recession, explained · The euro, explained
Weekly report + macro calendar, free
Every Saturday the week in numbers – the DESK weekly report by email; when you sign up, the macro calendar for the quarter as a PDF straight away. Plus DESK Alerts on Telegram: only the market moves that matter, every number with its source.
Every Saturday, the week in numbers: get the free weekly report · DESK Alerts on Telegram
This is one page of many.
- Every figure in DESK comes with its date and source – more than 900 indicators per country.
- A dictionary of thousands of market terms, each in plain words.
- A weekly report that sums up the week in numbers.
Also open to read: Weekly report archive
DESK is a research tool and not investment advice. Page generated: 2026-10-16.