The CPI Forecast Scoreboard — every print, every forecaster, graded

Before each CPI print we put a forecast on the record and grade it after, misses included. Our headline call is the Nowflation CPI Forecast, an error-weighted blend of our in-house model, the Cleveland Fed nowcast and the Street consensus, each weighted by its graded track record. The in-house model's vintage-true backtest covers 88 prints (2019-01 to 2026-07) at 0.13pp mean absolute error vs 0.331pp for a naive baseline; the blend is tighter still. Nowflation's record before June 2026 is an honest vintage-true backtest; live calls since June 2026 · 2 graded — each one pre-registered with a dated receipt before the print. Graded values are the scoreboard rows frozen at grading time and are never rewritten when a source revises after the release.

Pre-registered calls — Live calls since June 2026 · 2 graded

Every call is written to a dated receipt before the print: one JSON file per print month at /forecasts/index.json, locked the evening before release, SHA-256 hashed, never rewritten. Latest receipt: 2026-08 (provisional — locks the evening before release, September 1, 2026 at 6:30 PM ET): Nowflation CPI Forecast 3.33%, in-house model 3.29%, Cleveland Fed 3.38%, Kalshi 3.36%.

PrintStatusWritten (ET)Nowflation ForecastActualErrorReceipt
2026-08provisionalSeptember 1, 2026 at 6:30 PM ET3.33%pendingJSON
2026-07lockedSeptember 1, 2026 at 5:23 PM ET3.42%3.4%+0.021ppJSON
2026-06lockedJuly 7, 2026 11:18 AM ET3.94%3.5%+0.435ppJSON

League table — headline CPI YoY, mean absolute error (lower is better; ranked by the live-graded record)

ForecasterLive printsLive MAE (pp)Live bias (pp)Closest-call % (live)Backtest printsBacktest MAE (pp)Combined printsCombined MAE (pp)
Street Consensus430.088+0.02344%430.088
Cleveland Fed430.106+0.03826%430.106
Kalshi Market20.181+0.1280%20.181
Nowflation Forecast20.208+0.2080%20.208
Nowflation Model20.292+0.2920%390.085410.095

Live = scoreboard rows frozen at grading time. Backtest = the Nowflation Model's vintage-true walk-forward before its first live print (June 2026), reported in its own column; the combined figure mixes both and is labeled as such.

Recent graded prints (headline CPI YoY)

PrintActualStreet ConsensusCleveland FedKalshi MarketNowflation ForecastNowflation Model
2026-073.4%3.4%3.42%3.347%3.421%3.46%
2026-063.5%3.8%3.92%3.809%3.895%4.025%
2026-054.2%4.2%4.18%4.247%
2026-043.8%3.7%3.565%3.571%
2026-033.3%3.3%3.252%3.368%
2026-022.4%2.4%2.406%2.435%
2026-012.4%2.5%2.364%2.403%
2025-122.7%2.7%2.573%2.571%

Explore: dashboard · methodology · status · heatcheck · my inflation · vs bls · jobs · housing · farm to shelf · data · scoreboard · gap · gdp · oil · oil vs cpi · gauge · pipeline · natgas · reserves · stockpiles · about · privacy · contact · analysis · expectations · activity · labor · conditions · income · trade · surveys · today · forecast · compare · embeds · money · fiscal · stress · rates · affordability · matrix · indicators · mortgage · calculator · cart · states · counters · recession · commodities · energy · countries · macro · calendar · liquidity · ratios · housing market · revisions · century · nowflation difference · nowflation terms · nowflation how to · supercore · credit · growth · real wages · jobs preview · fx · metros · prediction markets · heating season · thanksgiving · fed watch · nowflation vs truflation · lead test · eggs · gas · coffee · ground beef · electricity · milk · bread · bacon · chicken · chocolate · butter · cheese · flour · rice · potatoes · tomatoes · bananas · oranges · cola · i bonds · tax brackets · all 1,629 series