Durables Inflation Ticks Up in January, Led by Consumer Electronics

OpenBrand CPI Shows Prices Rose 0.75% Month-Over-Month, the Largest Gain in 12 Months

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The February 2026 release of the OpenBrand Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Durable and Personal Goods shows prices rose 0.75% month-over-month in January, the largest gain in 12 months and up from a revised 0.43% in December. Price growth accelerated across four of the five product categories tracked by OpenBrand, led by recreation goods, home improvement, and personal care.

Why it matters

The new year is an opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to shift pricing in response to holiday promotions and broader market forces. This data provides insights into consumer price dynamics for retailers, manufacturers, and policymakers, delivering earlier signals than traditional inflation measures.

The details

Durable goods prices accelerated in January as retailers reset margins post-holidays and 2025 tariffs were absorbed. Prices for recreational products like TVs, headphones, and speaker systems grew by 2.44% on a month-over-month basis in January, at least partially due to a decrease in the frequency of discounts. Appliances posted a modest 0.24% increase, below the 10-year January average, while prices of communication devices fell by 0.29%.

  • The February 2026 release of the OpenBrand Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Durable and Personal Goods shows prices rose 0.75% month-over-month in January.
  • In January, the typical discount magnitude decreased slightly to 20.0%, down from 20.8% in December.

The players

Ralph McLaughlin

Chief Economist at OpenBrand.

OpenBrand

An industry-leading provider of durable and personal goods pricing, promotion, and availability data for over 1.4 million individual products.

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What they’re saying

“While month-over-month price growth in January was the largest gain in 12 months, it's not unusual for the first month of the year to bring relatively sharp price increases.”

— Ralph McLaughlin, Chief Economist

“We expect only limited expansion in overall durables market size this year, driven primarily by incremental price increases following recent rate cuts. Durables market growth is projected to peak in July, aligning with the largest anticipated price adjustment, before moderating through the remainder of the year.”

— Ralph McLaughlin, Chief Economist

The takeaway

This data highlights the dynamics of durable goods pricing, with manufacturers and retailers adjusting margins in response to factors like holiday promotions, tariffs, and broader economic conditions. It provides valuable insights for businesses and policymakers tracking consumer price trends.