Jan. 12, 2012
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announced today that it will begin producing a monthly business inflation expectations survey release. The release will highlight surveyed Southeastern businesses' expectations on the inflation outlook and other factors that can drive pricing decisions.
The survey asks a panel, representing over 300 participating companies, various questions to gauge their expectations of year-ahead unit cost changes. The survey also includes questions to provide perspective on relative measures of adjustments to sales levels, unit costs and profit margins, as well as the expected price impact of various influencing factors, including labor costs, materials costs and productivity. The companies that participate in the survey represent a variety of industries.
"The survey measures the year-ahead inflationary sentiments of businesses in the Sixth District," said Mike Bryan, vice president in the research department. "It also helps inform our understanding of the factors driving pricing decisions and the uncertainty surrounding the inflation outlook."
A sample survey release is available on the site, and a frequently asked questions section will be added on the day of the initial release. Additional comments about the survey are offered by Atlanta Fed president Dennis Lockhart in a video available on the Inflation Project landing page.
The survey release dates for 2012 are Jan. 27, Feb. 22, March 21, April 16, May 23, June 22, July 23, Aug. 22, Sept. 21, Oct. 26, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19, and the release will be posted to the site at approximately 10 a.m. ET on release dates. Federal Reserve Board of Governors credentialed media can request to receive an embargoed copy of the release.
The business inflation expectations survey is part of an updated Inflation Project web page that features an inflation dashboard with up-to-date inflation indicators, a monthly sticky price index and deflation probabilities measures. For additional information, a descriptive video highlighting the features of the Inflation Project page is available.
The Atlanta Fed is a part of the nation's central banking system, which Congress created in 1913. The Federal Reserve conducts monetary policy by influencing money and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of full employment and stable prices, supervises and regulates banking institutions, and helps ensure that the nation's payments systems operate smoothly. The Atlanta Fed serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses Alabama, Florida, Georgia and sections of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Atlanta Fed participates in setting national monetary policy, supervises numerous commercial banks and provides a variety of financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. government.