Data Doldrums

   Monthly statistics don't always give a clear picture of progress, especially in economics. But they can be useful when gathered together and then tracked over time.
   In addition, some are collected through surveys and polling, which cannot detail a complete set of everything that's going on. When done well, however, statisticians can get a pretty good idea of what's happening, even when they don't have every last bit of data.
   With those caveats in mind, consider these: U.S. import prices rose by 0.2  percent in October, while export prices were basically unchanged, according to government reports.
   The Consumer Price Index for all items increased 0.1 percent while hourly earnings fell by 0.1 percent. And the Producer Price Index rose by 0.4 percent.
   The number of job openings is holding, at about 6.1 million. The U.S. economy added some 261,000 jobs in October, which helped to bring the unemployment rate to 4.1 percent.
   And the total value of all goods and services produced in America rose by 3 percent in the three months ending September.

   When you look at some sets of statistics, the economy is doing well. But if you're someone who is out of work, or has a low-paying job, the numbers that say prices are rising while wages are not, tell you a very different story.
   So who's right, the commentator who says things are great, or the one who says many people are squeezed between increasing costs and static pay?
   One answer is that they both are. There will always be some who benefit in a rising economy, and some who are left behind. The reasons for this are legion, including skill levels, education, regional differences in supply and demand for workers and goods, as well as  attitudes on the part of workers, employers and government policies and assistance programs.
   The best we can hope for is cooperation and coordination among people, companies and government to work toward programs that do the most good for the most people, while causing the least harm over all.
   That's where politics and economics meet.