September CPI Rises 0.2%; Core Rate Jumps 0.3%

he consumer price index rose 0.2% in September, while the core rate, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3%, the biggest increase since April, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The consumer price index 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 rising, it could reflect an uptick in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.

Prices were up 2.5% from September of last year, compared with a 2.7% year-over-year rise in August. Excluding food and energy, the gauge was up 2% from September 2003 compared with 1.7% in August.

Economists on Wall Street had expected both the overall index and the core measure to advance 0.2%, Reuters reported.

So far this year, consumer prices are rising at a 3.5% annual rate, compared with a 2.6% increase at the same time a year ago.

Prices for services, such as medical care, household operations and transportation, rose 0.3%.