AI Analysis: Consumer Price Index (CPI) statistics, alternative measures, unadjusted and seasonally adjusted, Bank of Canada

Executive Summary

Statistics Canada's Table 10100106 provides 46+ years of monthly alternative CPI data (November 1979 – March 2026) across 10 Bank of Canada inflation measures, capturing 5,179 valid records with values ranging from -1.9 to 154.3. Index-based measures have risen to approximately 154.3 by March 2026, while the volatility-weighted core inflation measure sits at 2.6% — near the Bank of Canada's 2% target. The dataset reveals strong co-movement among alternative measures, with 92 statistical outliers likely tied to well-known inflationary episodes including the early 1980s surge, the 2022 post-pandemic spike, and COVID-era disruptions.

Key Findings

• The dataset spans 557 monthly periods from November 1979 to March 2026, containing 5,179 valid records across 10 alternative CPI measures used by the Bank of Canada.
• CPI values range widely from -1.9 to 154.3, with a mean of 74.0 and a higher median of 95.3, indicating a left-skewed distribution driven by differences in measurement scales (percent vs. index values with base years of 1986, 1992, and 2002).
• Index-based measures such as CPI excluding food, energy, and indirect taxes have reached approximately 154.3 by March 2026, reflecting cumulative price-level growth since the base period.
• The CPI inversely weighted by volatility — a key core inflation indicator — stands at 2.6% as of the latest reading, signalling inflation near the Bank of Canada's 2% target.
• Seasonally adjusted and unadjusted versions of comparable measures track very closely, with latest values of 129.1 and 129.4 respectively, confirming minimal seasonal distortion in the data.
• 92 outliers were identified using a strict 3×IQR threshold, representing approximately 1.8% of all valid records, with anomalies most likely concentrated around the early 1980s high-inflation era, the 2022 post-pandemic surge, and COVID-19 disruptions.
• The interquartile range spans 113.6 points (Q25: 1.9 to Q75: 115.5), reflecting the broad diversity in measurement scales and methodologies across the 10 alternative CPI measures.