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This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Stacey Vannick Smith.

And I'm Donemwoods. And it is the final episode of our encore week.

Tomorrow we're off for the holidays. But don't worry, we are back with a new episode on Monday.

So the team picked out their favorite episodes of the year to re-air on this very last week of 2021.

And this one was my favorite.

Because while I was reporting it, I got to look behind the curtain to see how one of the most famous indicators in the world is calculated.

The rate of inflation, aka prices going up.

Now this of course has been a huge economic topic all year.

Right now, prices are rising at an annual rate of about 6.8%.

And that number is calculated every month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's called the Consumer Price Index.

The process is meticulous, labor intensive, and it involves hundreds of people.

It's also top secret. This data is closely guarded because it needs to be above suspicion and tampering.

But the Bureau of Labor Statistics agreed to let us tag along for half a day.

Yes, they did. All I had to do was sign like eight non-disclosure agreements.

...