[wadd1e]

2nd derivative being negative doesn't mean inflation is becoming deflation though, it just means that the rate of change of inflation is decreasing, but the inflation(and rate of change of inflation)itself will still be positive(unless I'm misunderstanding something, which is entirely possible).

[brewdad]

The reported number is backward looking year-over-year. A 4.9% rate says the price of their basket of goods is that much more expensive than it was a year ago. Last month the inflation rate was 5% when compared to March of 2022. So, in a sense, goods are becoming cheaper.

In absolute terms, groceries, airline fares, new cars, hotels and household energy (such as electricity, fuel oil and utility gas service) are actually cheaper than they were a month ago[1].

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/april-2023-cpi-inflation-rep...

[refulgentis]

You're not wrong, it's one of those "HN traps": we're smart, and we can apply that other places, and even find other people who will back up our findings and agree. But colloquially, in the actual field, people expect something different.

Makes it hard to converse because _nobody_ is wrong here: i half-assed my way through an economics degree and know just enough to know OP is making a relevant comment, then confirm their comment: M2 money supply, is in fact, decreasing.