Alternative Measure of October Inflation Finds It ‘Remains Firm but Not Frightening’

By Harriet Torry of The WSJ. From Nov. 13, 2025. Excerpt:

"There's no consumer-price index out today—as originally scheduled before the government shutdown—but one of the private alternatives that scrapes millions of prices from across the web suggests inflation remained relatively benign in October.

Called PriceStats, the price index—which was recently acquired by State Street and generally tracks the CPI— increased 0.16% last month, similar to its 0.24% increase in September. The PriceStats number isn’t seasonally adjusted.

“For now, inflation remains firm but not frightening,” said Michael Metcalfe, head of macro strategy at State Street."

I usually post something when the CPI comes out. So this is a substitute for that.