The use of seasonally adjusted data is for current economic analysis. The use of seasonally adjusted data in escalation agreements is inappropriate. Escalation agreements using the CPI usually involve changing the base period payment by the percent change in the level of the CPI between the base period and a subsequent time period. The Bureau of Labor Statistics neither encourages nor discourages the use of price adjustment measures in contractual agreements. Also, while BLS can provide technical and statistical assistance to parties developing escalation agreements, we can neither develop specific wording for contracts nor mediate legal or interpretive disputes which might arise between the parties to the agreement.
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