St. Louis Fed research showed that the Fed could more accurately estimate "core" PCE, by excluding only energy goods

To avoid misgauging inflation, policymakers rely on alternative price indexes that can best capture underlying inflationary pressures. The challenge is excluding excessively volatile price categories while also ensuring the alternative index remains representative and captures sustained price changes. A key alternative measure is to remove energy and food prices from the headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index. While this core PCE index is a less volatile measure, it also removes prices for a sizable share of consumer spending. Excluding only energy goods like gasoline from headline PCE creates a smoother and more representative inflation measure, as these goods are highly volatile and closely linked to oil prices. PCE excluding energy goods closely tracks headline inflation trends and preserves a larger share of consumer spending, making it a useful tool for interpreting price changes without overreacting to short-term shocks.