The author should’ve focused on other metrics (housing prices, food prices)

The author can’t present the numbers for the more clear and straightforward metrics you’re talking about, because as you noted, they show the exact opposite of what he’s trying to imply is happening.

He’s constructing the article in such a way as to carefully assemble little individual facts to carefully create a facsimile of something that isn’t what’s actually happening. For what reason, I honestly don’t know. But it’s too precisely tailored skirting around the reality for it to be a simple mistake.