Inflation Focus

Experts at the Kansas City Fed have developed a collection of research and resources exploring inflation and its impact on consumers, industries and economies.

In economics, inflation occurs when prices increase rapidly, resulting in a decline of purchasing power.

Keeping prices stable is a primary mission of the Federal Reserve. One way the Kansas City Fed monitors inflation trends is through the work of experts and economists. Below, you’ll find an archive of the Bank’s latest research and resources related to inflation.

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61 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
Financially Distressed Consumers May Have Turned to High-Cost Credit to Cope with Inflation Many U.S. consumers, especially those who are financially distressed, have used various strategies to cope with rising prices last year. Notably, financially distressed consumers were substantially more likely to have taken on additional debt to manage the financial strain of inflation; furthermore, they often borrowed at higher costs. Higher inflation rates and cuts in federal financial aid this year may compel even more financially distressed consumers to rely on high-cost credit. Payments Banking and Finance Economic Bulletin Inflation	Ying Lei Toh Expandable Row	October 15, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
A Dual Mandate Can Support Price Stability A dual mandate that includes promoting maximum employment can enhance a central bank’s ability to achieve price stability. Research Working Paper Monetary Policy Macroeconomics Inflation	Brent Bundick Nicolas Petrosky-Nadeau Expandable Row	August 31, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
High Costs and Uncertainty Will Likely Keep Cattle Inventories Low and Beef Prices Elevated for Some Time Food-at-home inflation has ticked up in 2026, driven partly by higher beef prices. Beef prices have increased as U.S. consumption of beef has outpaced domestic supply. Despite favorable market signals, supply constraints may keep beef prices elevated for some time. Growing uncertainty in the conditions for raising cattle have prevented ranchers from meaningfully expanding herds to increase domestic supply. Continued uncertainty may stall herd rebuilding, further constraining the beef supply and driving up prices. Regional Economic Bulletin Food Prices Agriculture Inflation	Francisco Scott Expandable Row	August 5, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
In Recent Years, Inflation Expectations Increased After Oil Shocks and Stabilized Only Once Monetary Policy Tightened Historically, U.S. households’ expectations for future inflation remained anchored after an oil price shock without significantly tighter monetary policy. Since 2010, however, oil price shocks have led household inflation expectations to increase more persistently, and expectations have only normalized after monetary policy tightened. This recent experience suggests monetary policy may play a role in stabilizing expectations after a shock. Natural Resources and Environment Monetary Policy Economic Bulletin Inflation	Andrew Glover Expandable Row	July 8, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
A Break in the Link Between Gasoline Prices and Inflation Expectations Gasoline prices and consumers’ inflation expectations often move in similar directions. Indeed, the correlation between the two increased noticeably over the last several decades. In 2025, however, that relationship changed dramatically: Gasoline prices declined, while inflation expectations increased with the prospects of higher prices coming from tariffs. If the historical relationship had persisted, inflation expectations might have been 1.5 percentage points lower throughout 2025. Natural Resources and Environment Economic Bulletin Inflation	Jason P. Brown Expandable Row	February 20, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Inflation Persistence as an Outcome of Monetary Policy Delayed or tepid monetary policy responses can prolong the inflationary effect of temporary economic shocks. When financial markets expect that policymakers are hesitant to raise interest rates in response to an inflationary shock, the shock may have a longer-lasting effect. Research shows that perceptions of a weak policy response can explain the persistent rise and slow decline in inflation during 2021–22, suggesting policymakers may need to consider inflation persistence as an outcome of monetary policy. Monetary Policy Economic Bulletin Inflation	Taeyoung Doh Stephen D. Vasiljevic Expandable Row	February 6, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
EconQuest: Where Learning Meets Real-World Economics How Do Food Prices Help Measure Inflation? Consumer Price Index Economics Inflation Research Food Prices Services Inflation	Expandable Row	January 27, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy Kansas City Fed President and CEO Jeff Schmid delivered these remarks to the Economic Club of Kansas City. Jeff Schmid Speeches Economic Update Monetary Policy Federal Reserve System Inflation	Expandable Row	January 15, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Is It Time to Add Food-at-Home Inflation to Measures of Core Inflation? Since the mid-1970s, the Federal Reserve has used core inflation to examine trends in underlying inflation. Core inflation is considered a more stable measure as it excludes energy and food, historically viewed as the most volatile components of inflation. However, core inflation can be a challenge for central bankers to communicate, as food inflation is highly salient to consumers. We argue that food-at-home inflation has become less volatile over time and could be added to measures of core inflation with few drawbacks. Monetary Policy Economic Bulletin Food Prices Agriculture Inflation	Francisco Scott José Mustre-del-Río Amaze Lusompa Jalen Nichols Expandable Row	June 6, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Labor Market Cooling Has Been Uneven Across Industries The U.S. labor market has cooled over the last two years but remains healthy overall. However, an industry-specific version of the KC Fed’s Labor Market Conditions Indicators (LMCI) suggests pockets of tightness and weakness have appeared in a few industries. Tightness appears to be limited to less labor-intensive industries, limiting upside risk to inflation. Weakness, on the other hand, has appeared in the interest-rate-sensitive information industry, which may be vulnerable to further labor market cooling. Labor and Demographics Monetary Policy Data and Trends Economic Bulletin Inflation	Karlye Dilts Stedman Emily Pollard Expandable Row	January 31, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row

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Inflation Focus

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Filter Archived Content

Financially Distressed Consumers May Have Turned to High-Cost Credit to Cope with Inflation

A Dual Mandate Can Support Price Stability

High Costs and Uncertainty Will Likely Keep Cattle Inventories Low and Beef Prices Elevated for Some Time

In Recent Years, Inflation Expectations Increased After Oil Shocks and Stabilized Only Once Monetary Policy Tightened

A Break in the Link Between Gasoline Prices and Inflation Expectations

Inflation Persistence as an Outcome of Monetary Policy

EconQuest: Where Learning Meets Real-World Economics

The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy

Is It Time to Add Food-at-Home Inflation to Measures of Core Inflation?

Labor Market Cooling Has Been Uneven Across Industries