Consumer Price Index Rises 0.2%

The consumer price index rose 0.2% in October, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The gain in the government’s main inflation gauge followed a 0.1% increase in September.

The so-called core rate excluding food and energy was unchanged for a third straight month. In the past 12 months, the core rate’s 0.6% increase was the smallest such gain on record.

The overall CPI’s increase was smaller than economists’ estimates of 0.3%.

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.