Consumer Price Index Rises 0.3% in September

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in September, led by increases in food and fuel, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The downturn followed August’s 0.1% downturn, the first of the year. The so-called core CPI excluding food and energy rose 0.2% for a second straight month, Labor said.

Economists had forecast both the CPI and core rate to rise 0.2%, Bloomberg reported.
 
The CPI is the government’s broadest gauge of costs for goods and services. Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services.

If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.