On measuring inflation

From CNBC, 28 June 2024:

The Fed focuses on the PCE inflation reading as opposed to the more widely followed consumer price index from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. PCE is a broader inflation measure and accounts for changes in consumer behavior, such as substituting their purchases when prices rise.

While the central bank officially follows headline PCE, officials generally stress the core reading as a better gauge of longer-term inflation trends.

So now I know: Headline PCE is "preferred" but Core PCE is "better".

The CPI runs higher than the PCE measures, and the Fed doesn't like it at all.

That part about the PCE measures accounting for changes in consumer behavior, well isn't that special. It means when prices get so high that we can no longer afford to buy meat, they take meat out of the inflation calculation. This is the preferred way to keep inflation down.

Well, at least the irony is good.