Consumer Price Index Rises 0.2% in June; ‘Core’ Up 0.3%

.S. consumer prices rose 0.2% in June, following May’s 0.4% gain, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The so-called “core” consumer price index excluding food and energy rose 0.3% for a fourth straight month, Labor said.

Economists had predicted a 0.2% rise in the core CPI rate, 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.