Chapter 4.7, Problem 72AYU

Problems 69 – 72 require the following discussion. The consumer price index(CPI) indicates the relative change in the price over time for a fixed basket of goods and services. It is a cost of living index that helps measure the effect of inflation on the cost of goods and services. The CPI uses the base period 1982-84 for comparison (the CPI for this period is 100). The CPI for March 2017 was $243.80. This means that $100 in the period 1982-84 has the same purchasing power as $243.80 in March 2017. In general, if the rate of inflation averages r percent per annum over n years, then CPI index after n years is

$CPI=CP{I}_0{\left(1+\frac{r}{100}\right)}^n$

Where, CPI₀ is the CPI index at the beginning of the n-year period

Consumer Price Index The base period for the CPI changed in 1998. Under the previous weight and item structure, the CPI for 1995 was 456.5. If the average annual inflation rate was 5.57%, what year was used as the base period for the CPI?