It’s just being reported that inflation has come in lower than expected for the month of September, showing that prices are rising even slower than estimates predicted.
Here’s more from CNBC:
Prices that people pay for a variety of goods and services rose less than expected in September, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday that keeps the door wide open for another interest rate cut next week.
The consumer price index showed a 0.3% increase on the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for respective readings of 0.4% and 3.1%. The annual rate reflected a 0.1 percentage point uptick from August.
Excluding food and energy, core CPI showed a 0.2% monthly gain and an annual rate also at 3%, compared to respective estimates of 0.3% and 3.1%, the latter being unchanged from a month ago. Core CPI on a monthly basis had posted 0.3% gains in both July and August.
The CPI reading is the only official economic data allowed to be released during the government shutdown.
“Like an oasis slaking the thirst of a weary desert traveler, today’s CPI number offered investors the first tidbit of information from the barren wasteland of government data that has existed since the shutdown started Oct 1,” wrote John Kerschner, global head of securitized products at Janus Henderson. “Investors were not disappointed. Inflation came in softer than expected, leading to a tepid bond market rally, and ensuring that the Fed will cut rates at next week’s Open Market Committee meeting.”
A 4.1% jump in gasoline prices was the largest contributor to a report that otherwise showed inflation pressures fairly muted. Food prices showed a 0.2% increase. Commodity prices overall rose 0.5%. On an annual basis, energy was up 2.8% and food rose 3.1%.
Within the food index, prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs surged 5.2% in the past year, while nonalcoholic beverages increased 5.3%. In energy, while electricity (up 5.1%) and natural gas (11.7%) prices pushed higher over the past year, gasoline actually fell 0.5% during the period.
I know fuel prices have come down recently in North Carolina for the year, and that’s definitely a good sign. Hopefully food and other prices wills to rising at all and start coming down again.