economics medium True/False

Headline inflation includes the prices of highly volatile items like food and fuel, whereas core inflation excludes them to show the underlying trend.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Headline inflation represents the raw, overall inflation rate in the economy, which can be skewed by temporary supply shocks in food or energy. Central banks often focus on core inflation (CPI excluding food and fuel) to make long-term monetary policy decisions, as it reflects sustained demand pressures.

Topic Macroeconomics - Inflation
Exam Relevance Banking, UPSC Prelims, SSC