SPY & Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
SPY Price
Inflation Rate (CPI YoY)
CPI Index
What It Measures
The Consumer Price Index measures inflation by tracking price changes for a representative basket of goods and services purchased by urban consumers. The basket includes: - **Food and Beverages** (~14%): Groceries, restaurants, alcohol - **Housing** (~33%): Rent, owners' equivalent rent, utilities - **Apparel** (~3%): Clothing, footwear - **Transportation** (~16%): Vehicles, gasoline, public transit - **Medical Care** (~9%): Health insurance, doctor visits, drugs - **Recreation** (~5%): TVs, sports equipment, pets - **Education and Communication** (~7%): Tuition, phones, internet - **Other** (~3%): Personal care, tobacco, miscellaneous The BLS collects prices from approximately 23,000 retail establishments and 50,000 housing units monthly.
Why It Matters
**Fed's Target**: The Federal Reserve aims for 2% annual inflation. CPI above this level may prompt rate hikes; below may allow rate cuts. **Cost of Living Adjustments**: Social Security benefits, tax brackets, and many wage contracts are adjusted based on CPI. **Real Returns**: Investors use CPI to calculate inflation-adjusted (real) returns on investments. **Consumer Purchasing Power**: Rising CPI erodes the buying power of consumers' dollars.
Key Levels
Data Sources
SPY: S&P 500 ETF daily OHLCV data (1993-02-02 to 2026-01-22)
CPI: CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index (CPI) from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Units: Index 1982-1984=100, Seasonally Adjusted, Monthly