There is a feeling among some economists that some key data like inflation, wages and unemployment are fudged by government departments to make them look good.

There is a feeling among some economists that some key data like inflation, wages and unemployment are fudged by government departments to make them look good. Things like the definition of "unemployment" have changed. If you work 1 hour a month you are employed. If you have been unemployed for longer than 3 months, you are no longer among the unemployed. The reasons cited by the officials always sound rational, but their net effect is to make government statistics look a lot better than they actually are. There is a discussion of this here http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-chart... or here https://www.sprottmoney.com/Blog/big-mac-index-suggests-america-in-decade-long-depression-peter-diekmeyer-30-042018.html https://www.sprottmoney.com/Blog/big-mac-index-suggests-amer...