Consumer Price Index (CPI) Graphic
The Labor Department through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said the Consumer Price Index (CPI) posted a 0.5% gain in September. However, softness in housing and medical weighted down the so-called core CPI and still indicates underlaying weakness in inflation pressure.
The so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy, gained by just 0.1% in September.
Over the last 12 months, the CPI rose 2.2%. Worth noting, the 12-month change has been accelerating since it was just 1.6% in June, while the 12-month change in the index for all items less food and energy remained at 1.7% for the fifth month in a row.
The gasoline index soared by 13.1% in September and represented roughly three-fourths of the seasonally adjusted gains in the overall index. The energy index has gained 10.1% over the past 12 months, its largest 12-month increase since the period ending March 2017.
The so-called core index–which excludes food and energy–gained by just 0.1% in September.
The food index increased 1.2% over the last year.
