Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Chart Title: CPI for 2008 Year To DateSeries Id:    CUSR0000SA0Seasonally AdjustedArea:         U.S. city averageItem:         All itemsBase Period:  1982-84=100 What’s A CPI Guy to Do? You know, sometimes it’s hard to be positive when the government statistics come out. Witness the chart above that demonstrates how the CPI is now running at an annualized basis of 5.6%. You have to go all the way back to around 1991 before you see results like this. I sometimes hear economists talk about the so called core CPI, which is ex-food and energy, which…

This is the first entry in what I hope will become a regular feature here in the markets section of Multi-Housing News Online. I’m going to be writing about Markets & Metrics, a special area near and dear to my professional heart. With the absolute proliferation of data and news releases coming out of lots of sources and the frequent misunderstandings that occur, I’m hoping to begin a dialogue with you, our readers and help point out some interesting facts, debunk some fictions and offer you some concise analysis. I hope you’ll come back often and contribute too! The success…

The nation’s economic picture has continued to look troubled as of late, with relief in oil prices being undercut by continued sharp downturns in employment and housing, as well as growing inflation. The sluggish job market did see a slight uptick last week, as the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits fell slightly from a six-year high. According to the Department of Labor, 450,000 American workers filed initial unemployment claims during the week ending August 9th—down from 455,000 new claims during the previous week, and the first week-to-week drop in claims since early July. The gains in employment, however,…