If the CPI one year ago was 135.3 and today it is 130.6, what has been the rate of deflation over the past year?

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Multiple Choice

If the CPI one year ago was 135.3 and today it is 130.6, what has been the rate of deflation over the past year?

Explanation:
Deflation rate is the percentage change in the overall price level over the year. The CPI fell from 135.3 to 130.6, a drop of 4.7 points. Compute the rate as 4.7 divided by 135.3, giving 0.0347, i.e., about 3.47% decline. Rounded, this is 3.5% deflation. The other numbers don’t match because they correspond to different relative drops: 3.2% would require a slightly smaller decline, 3.7% a slightly larger one, and 4.7% would imply a much larger drop relative to the starting index.

Deflation rate is the percentage change in the overall price level over the year. The CPI fell from 135.3 to 130.6, a drop of 4.7 points. Compute the rate as 4.7 divided by 135.3, giving 0.0347, i.e., about 3.47% decline. Rounded, this is 3.5% deflation. The other numbers don’t match because they correspond to different relative drops: 3.2% would require a slightly smaller decline, 3.7% a slightly larger one, and 4.7% would imply a much larger drop relative to the starting index.

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