AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - August consumer prices climb 3.4 percent as core inflation beats forecasts, raising pressure on the Fed
The Labor Department's August Consumer Price Index report showed core prices rising faster than economists predicted, a result that puts the Federal Reserve on a near-certain path toward another interest rate hike. Consumer prices jumped 0.4 percent in August compared with July, matching what forecasters expected for the headline number. But the detail that matters […] The post August consumer prices climb 3.4 percent as core inflation beats forecasts, raising pressure on the Fed appeared first on American Almanac .
The Labor Department's August Consumer Price Index report showed core prices rising faster than economists predicted, a result that puts the Federal Reserve on a near-certain path toward another interest rate hike. Consumer prices jumped 0.4 percent in August compared with July, matching what forecasters expected for the headline number. But the detail that matters most landed above the consensus: core prices, which strip out volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3 percent for the month. Economists had forecast a 0.2 percent increase. That one-tenth-of-a-point miss carries real weight heading into next week's Fed meeting, because core inflation is the gauge policymakers watch most closely when deciding whether to tighten the screws on…Open