Inflation is still calculated using a “market basket” to determine prices. But since 1980, other factors have been added to reflect a changing economy. Still, it might be useful to measure today’s rate of inflation using 1979 methods. CNBC’s Fast Money gives us the bad news: “Inflation, using the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit an annual rate of 9.6... 

China is set to become the world's biggest manufacturer next year The US remained the world’s biggest manufacturing nation by output last year, but is poised to relinquish this slot in 2011 to China – thus ending a 110-year run as the number one country in factory production. The figures are revealed in a league table being published on Monday by IHS Global Insight, a US-based economics consultancy. Last...