Milei’s Inflation Miracle Distorted by Obsolete Items in Index

Cigarettes and newspapers remain a key part of Argentina’s consumer price index.Photographer: Eduardo Comesana/Getty Images
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Each morning, the typical Argentine buys a newspaper, lights up a cigarette and then, while leafing through the pages and puffing away, grabs the telephone from its perch on the wall to make a call.

Well, this at least is what government statisticians in Buenos Aires would have you believe. Cigarettes, newspapers and landline phones remain key components of the country’s consumer price index today.