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THE MORNING CANDLE · 2026-10-12

Show the scale

The denominator, the basket and where the money went.

Released October 12, 2026 at 7:00 AM Central
In this edition 2 stories
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01

BLS lists 332.813 index points for 2026-07 in series CUSR0000SA0. BLS lists 334.131 index points for 2026-08 in the same series. [1] [2] [3]

CUSR0000SA0: seasonally adjusted CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items; index base 1982–84 = 100. Two published monthly index levels, not a household bill or a new-release claim.

2026-07

BLS lists 332.813 index points for 2026-07 in series CUSR0000SA0.

2026-08

BLS lists 334.131 index points for 2026-08 in the same series.

Calculated change

The index changed 0.396% between those months, calculated as (334.131 / 332.813 − 1) × 100 and rounded to three decimals.

An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.

Read the records as a table
Each record and its scoped meaning
RecordMeaning
2026-07BLS lists 332.813 index points for 2026-07 in series CUSR0000SA0.
2026-08BLS lists 334.131 index points for 2026-08 in the same series.
Calculated changeThe index changed 0.396% between those months, calculated as (334.131 / 332.813 − 1) × 100 and rounded to three decimals.
Adjacent monthly index levels and the calculated relative change. Index points are not percentage points; M13 annual averages are excluded.
  • 1 source record
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Understand the story →See the evidence ↓
Inspect this exact series at BLS ↗
How we know3 scoped claims · 1 source recordView evidence

Each claim keeps its full assertion, date, source passage and limits. Source counts describe records, not independent corroboration.

1.Claim 1Attributed

BLS lists 332.813 index points for 2026-07 in series CUSR0000SA0.

Scope
CUSR0000SA0: seasonally adjusted CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items; index base 1982–84 = 100. Two published monthly index levels, not a household bill or a new-release claim.
Evidence passage
Results.series[seriesID=CUSR0000SA0].data[2026-07].value=332.813
As of
2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z
Limit
An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.
BLS original monthly series ↗

Retrieved 2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.

2.Claim 2Attributed

BLS lists 334.131 index points for 2026-08 in the same series.

Scope
CUSR0000SA0: seasonally adjusted CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items; index base 1982–84 = 100. Two published monthly index levels, not a household bill or a new-release claim.
Evidence passage
Results.series[seriesID=CUSR0000SA0].data[2026-08].value=334.131
As of
2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z
Limit
An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.
BLS original monthly series ↗

Retrieved 2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.

3.Claim 3Attributed

The index changed 0.396% between those months, calculated as (334.131 / 332.813 − 1) × 100 and rounded to three decimals.

Scope
CUSR0000SA0: seasonally adjusted CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items; index base 1982–84 = 100. Two published monthly index levels, not a household bill or a new-release claim.
Evidence passage
Same series and adjacent monthly periods. Deterministic calculation from 332.813 and 334.131; not a separately reported rounded inflation rate.
As of
2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z
Limit
An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.
BLS original monthly series ↗

Retrieved 2026-10-10T12:50:50.053Z · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.

Still open: An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.

What remains unresolved
  • An aggregate index does not measure a particular household bill. Footnotes require a new supported interpretation.
  • Source revisions or an upstream data outage may change this account.

New original records, revisions to these fields, or a failed source/skill check reopen the answer, visual and publication eligibility.

02

EDUCATIONAL EXPLAINER · ILLUSTRATIVE MODEL

Twice as much. How much, exactly?

Doubling from 1 to 2 and from 40 to 80 both gives a 100 percent increase. The absolute changes are different. [1]

The invented numbers describe no actual risk, incidence or news event.

100% increase1 → 2

1 more in 100
1 percentage points

100% increase40 → 80

40 more in 100
40 percentage points

Invented counts with a denominator of 100. Both double; the absolute changes are 1 and 40.
  • 1 source record
  • DontSuckMedia development build
Understand the story →See the evidence ↓
See the calculation and model ↗
How we know1 scoped claim · 1 source recordView evidence

Each claim keeps its full assertion, date, source passage and limits. Source counts describe records, not independent corroboration.

1.Claim 1Supported

Moving from 10 of 100 to 20 of 100 is a 100 percent relative increase and a 10 percentage point increase.

Scope
Hypothetical arithmetic example; the denominator stays at 100.
Evidence passage
Relative change = (20 − 10) / 10 × 100. Percentage point change = 20 − 10.
As of
2026-10-09
Limit
No real-world event or risk is described.
The illustrative models ↗

Retrieved 2026-10-09T10:12:47Z · DontSuckMedia development build

Invented teaching examples. Not observed votes, audiences or news coverage.

Still open: These are invented examples, not observed changes in risk or incidence.

What remains unresolved
  • These are invented examples, not observed changes in risk or incidence.
  • A real comparison also needs consistent definitions and a time period.
  • An increase from zero has no defined relative percentage increase.

A changed denominator or definition could make the comparison misleading. We would recalculate from the underlying counts and explain what changed.

This edition stays in the library.

Reconcile selected filing or price-release revisions against captured records.

Material evidence changes produce dated revisions. Earlier editions and their release records remain available.

Publication & revision receipt

Published automatically under the editor’s standing direction. Individual human review is not implied. Educational examples are labeled; claims retain their source limits.

Inspect the public release receipt ↗
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THEN, A LITTLE DELIGHT · ORIGINAL FICTION

The Funny Pages

A curious universe. Two wonderfully contrary stick figures. A dad, a boy, and a very big imagination.

Read our three comic strips