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Course 127 · Money course 18

Make Sense of Economic News

Decode inflation, wages, unemployment and interest-rate headlines with small, checkable calculations.

Before you start

Comfort with percentages; all numbers are fictional and a calculator is enough.

See everything you’ll need

Practice materials and a worked example · Free download. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

An economic-news brief with source cards, inflation and real-pay calculations, labor-force analysis, rate scenarios and clear limits.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesStart with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from BLS Videos introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
BLS VideosThe Consumer Price Index and Why Your Participation is ImportantYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

For learners ages 14+ and adults exploring practical money and business skills.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Comfort with percentages; all numbers are fictional and a calculator is enough.
  • Use paper and a calculator, or a free spreadsheet/text editor. The written lessons contain all required records. Optional video and software setup are extra time.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

An economic-news brief with source cards, inflation and real-pay calculations, labor-force analysis, rate scenarios and clear limits.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • An indicator source card with units, periods and populations.
  • An inflation calculation and a corrected headline explanation. A nominal-versus-real pay comparison with scope notes.
  • A labor-force calculation and a careful interpretation of a rate change.
  • A rate-news translation with a fixed/variable comparison.
  • A source-based economic-news brief with calculations and limits.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Calculations reconcile to the supplied records, with units and dates labeled.
  • Assumptions and missing information are visible, including the changed scenario.
  • The recommendation follows the evidence and explains an important limitation.
  • The six lesson outputs form a usable handoff that another learner can check.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Read the denominator

A percentage depends on who or what is counted.

02

Distinguish level and change

Slower growth can still mean a higher level.

03

Limit the claim

An aggregate measure is not a personal forecast.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Inflation
Increase in a measured price level over time.
Nominal wage
Pay measured in current dollars.
Real wage
Pay adjusted for a price measure.
Labor force
Employed plus unemployed people under the survey definition.
Percentage point
The difference between two percentage levels.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Identify the measure behind a headline

    An indicator source card with units, periods and populations.

  2. 2
    24 min

    Separate inflation from the price level

    An inflation calculation and a corrected headline explanation.

  3. 3
    24 min

    Compare pay with purchasing power

    A nominal-versus-real pay comparison with scope notes.

  4. 4
    26 min

    Read the unemployment denominator

    A labor-force calculation and a careful interpretation of a rate change.

  5. 5
    21 min

    Translate rate news into a contract question

    A rate-news translation with a fixed/variable comparison.

  6. 6
    28 min

    Write a useful economic news brief

    A source-based economic-news brief with calculations and limits.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Make Sense of Economic News practice files

Start with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

Consumer Price Index: Frequently Asked Questions
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected price-index meaning, percent changes, population coverage and limitations.

Access: Public page inspected without a sign-in; linked services may have separate requirements.

Reuse: Link to the original. Free reading does not imply permission to reproduce the page; lessons and fixtures here are original.

How the Government Measures Unemployment
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected employed/unemployed/not-in-labor-force definitions and rate denominator.

Access: Public page inspected without a sign-in; linked services may have separate requirements.

Reuse: Link to the original. Free reading does not imply permission to reproduce the page; lessons and fixtures here are original.

Federal Reserve: Open Market Operations
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected policy implementation and target federal funds range; course does not quote current rates.

Access: Public page inspected without a sign-in; linked services may have separate requirements.

Reuse: Link to the original. Free reading does not imply permission to reproduce the page; lessons and fixtures here are original.

BLS educational videos
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected CPI overview video link; exact title and BLS Videos channel confirmed by oEmbed.

Access: Public page inspected without a sign-in; linked services may have separate requirements.

Reuse: Link to the original. Free reading does not imply permission to reproduce the page; lessons and fixtures here are original.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one