July 2010 Consumer Prices Rise 0.3%, Annual US Inflation Rate at 1.2%
U.S. consumers prices increased in July, lifted by energy costs, to mark the largest gain since August 2009 and the first monthly increase since March 2010, the government reported Friday. Inflation also rose on a yearly basis, driven by the same higher energy prices.
The cost of energy rose for the first time this year and drove the Consumer Price Index 0.3 percent higher in July.
The energy index posted its first increase since January and accounted for over two thirds of the seasonally adjusted all items increase," noted the Labor Department’s CPI July report. "Both the gasoline and household energy indexes turned up in July after a series of declines. The food index, in contrast, declined in July, largely due to the fourth consecutive decline in the fruits and vegetables index."
US Consumer Prices Dip 0.1% in June 2010, Annual Inflation at 1.1%
U.S. consumers paid less for goods and services in June, thanks in large part to flat food prices and lower gasoline bills, the government reported Friday.
The Consumer Price Index dropped 0.1% in June, marking the third straight monthly decline since March when prices edged 0.1% higher, according to Labor Department data. The index is the most closely watched indicator for inflation. The decline follows a 0.2% slide in May and a 0.1% dip in April. The last time consumer prices fell for three consecutive months was between October and December 2008.
Sliding energy prices were the biggest contributor, down 2.9% in June, the same decline as in May. Gasoline prices plunged 4.5% to account for "most of the decrease," the Labor Department said. Read more
2010 US Inflation, Calculator and Rates Updates in July
The American cost of living fell in June, marking a third consecutive monthly decline, according to government data released Friday, July 16, 2010.
Consumer prices edged down 0.1% in June, the Labor Department said in its monthly Consumer Price Index report. The CPI is the key reading of inflation at the consumer level. Lower gasoline prices were a major contributing factor.
"Similarly to April and May, a decline in the energy index caused the seasonally adjusted all items decrease in June," the Labor Department stated. "The index for energy decreased 2.9 percent in June, the same decline as in May, with a decline in the gasoline index accounting for most of the decrease. This more than offset an increase in the index for all items less food and energy, while the food index was unchanged for the second month in a row."
Core consumer prices, which exclude the more volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.2% last month. Read more
Consumer Prices Drop 0.2% in May, Annual Inflation Up 2.0%
The cost of living in the U.S. declined in May for the second month in a row as energy prices retreated, the government reported Thursday.
The Consumer Price Index, the most closely watched indicator for inflation, fell 0.2% in May after edging 0.1 lower in April, the Labor Department said. Flat food costs and lower energy bills led by plunging gasoline prices aided in trimming U.S. consumer prices.
"The weak recovery has its upside, declining energy costs and that is helping take pressure off the cash-strapped consumer," Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, was quoted by the AP.
Core consumer prices, which exclude volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.1% in May, marking only the second monthly increase this year. The core inflation rate was unchanged in April and March, rose 0.1% in February, and declined 0.1% in January. Read more
U.S. Inflation Rises 2.2% for the Year, Consumer Prices Fall 0.1% in April
U.S. consumer prices surprisingly fell in April as core inflation over the past 12 months climbed at the slowest rate in 44 years, the Labor Department reported today.
"We do not have any inflation pressure," Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies & Co. in New York, said today in an interview on Bloomberg Radio. "On the international level, there is tremendous price competition."
The Consumer Price Index, the government’s most closely watched indicator for inflation, edged 0.1% lower in April. The index was helped by mostly subdued energy costs. It was the first decline in the CPI since March 2009, and two notches away from a 0.1% increase most economists were expecting, which was the same level reported in March.
Energy costs dropped 1.4% last month, with gasoline prices leading the declines at minus 2.4%. Food prices were up 0.2%. Read more
2010 Inflation, US Calculator and Rates Updates
The U.S. cost of living unexpectedly declined in April for the first time in more than a year, signaling that the tugs of inflation remain weak.
Consumer prices edged down 0.1% in April, the Labor Department said Wednesday in its monthly Consumer Price Index report. The CPI is the government’s key inflation barometer, measuring inflation at the consumer level. Many forecasters were expecting a 0.1% increase. Last month’s decline was led by falling energy prices.
"The index for energy decreased 1.4 percent in April and accounted for the seasonally adjusted decline in the all items index. The indexes for gasoline and natural gas both decreased significantly, outweighing increases in the indexes for fuel oil and electricity," the Consumer Price Index Summary report stated.
Core prices, which strips out volatile food and energy items, remained unchanged last month. Read more
Inflation Up 2.3% from Last Year, Consumer Prices Rise 0.1% in March
Inflation remained tame in March, as U.S. consumer prices edged only slightly higher due mostly to higher fresh fruits and vegetables costs, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
The Consumer Price Index, the government’s most closely watched reading for inflation at the consumer level, rose 0.1% in March. February’s CPI was flat and marked the first time prices had not advanced since March 2009.
"Inflation as a concern is relegated to the distant future," Guy Lebas, chief fixed income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia, said on Bloomberg. "It gives the Fed the flexibility to keep rates low for a while."
Helping to keep prices contained in March were flat energy prices, as increased electricity costs were offset by lower gasoline and natural gas bills. For the past year, however, energy prices have soared 18.3%, with gasoline leading at 41.1%. Read more
2010 Inflation Rates Update
Prices increased slightly for American’s in March and over the past 12 months, the government reported Wednesday.
Annual inflation rose 2.3%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index, or CPI. The CPI is the government’s key inflation barometer, measuring inflation at the consumer level. March increases were greatly driven by fresh fruit and vegetables costs, with consumer prices edging up 0.1% for the month compared to a flat reading in February.
"The seasonally adjusted increase was mostly due to an increase in the fresh fruits and vegetables index, which rose 4.6 percent in March and accounted for over 60 percent of the all items increase," the Consumer Price Index Summary report stated.
U.S. Inflation Rises at 2.1% Annual Rate, Consumer Prices Flat in February
The American cost of living climbed from a year ago due to higher energy bills, but those same energy costs fell in February to help keep consumer prices in check for the month, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is the government’s most closely watched barometer for measuring inflation at the consumer level, was flat in February, breaking away from five straight months of 0.2% increases. The month marks the first time since March 2009 when consumer prices did not climb, indicating tame inflation and reinforcing the Fed’s recent statement saying that inflation would remain subdued for "some time."
"Inflation is certainly no imminent threat to the U.S. economy," David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities International Inc. in New York, said on Bloomberg. Resler forecasted that prices would remain unchanged "It ties in with the Fed’s statement," he added.
The energy pricing index fell 0.5% in February after rising 2.8% during the prior month. Food prices rose a modest 0.1%. Read more
2010 Inflation Rates, Data and Calculator Updates
The cost of living for Americans remained unchanged in February as falling energy prices offset other price increases, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
While consumer prices were flat in February, the annual inflation rate climbed 2.1%, according to the Consumer Price Index, or CPI data. The CPI is the government’s key inflation barometer, measuring inflation at the consumer level.
By comparison, prices advanced 0.2% back in January — for the fifth straight time, and 12-month inflation ending for the month was at 2.6%. Read more