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The Federal Reserve is preparing to adjust how it measures inflation in three areas of consumer purchases this fall, a move that will cause the numbers to appear to drop slightly.

While many economists say the changes are necessary to reflect the true costs of these items, the move comes at a time when trust in federal data from the Trump administration is low.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said the changes will affect the examination of prices in three categories: portfolio management and investment advice services; legal services; and computer software and accessories. Overall, the adjustments, which will be implemented starting in the fall, are expected to reduce inflation numbers by 0.2 percent.

Some commentators have been critical of the timing of the changes, noting that the new calculations will likely be met with skepticism from the public.

“Given the growing mistrust around official data, we urge the BEA to act with more transparency around timing, weights, and historical revisions,” said Vikas Patel, program manager at Employ America, a liberal think tank.

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Indeed, President Donald Trump has given reason to question any changes when it comes to economics, as the BEA changes will come almost exactly a year after he fired the former head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) because he was unhappy with what he considered to be bad jobs reports.

Even if the inflation numbers in future reports present a slightly better image of the economy for the Trump administration, Americans are increasingly frustrated........

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