U.S. consumer prices rose more than expected in October as higher fuel and new and used car prices drove up the cost of living for Americans, according to government data released Wednesday.

The newest Labor Department monthly report reveals that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) edged 0.3% higher, exceeding the 0.2% expectations voice by economists. The increase — the fifth in six months — follows a September elevation of 0.2% which came on the heels of a 0.4% rise in August.

"The latest CPI report does not alter the underlying picture and we continue to expect weaker inflation in 2010 as a result of the substantial amount of spare capacity in the economy," wrote Anna Piretti, an economist for BNP Paribas, who was cited on MarketWatch.

Energy prices were also up for the fifth time in the last six months. The indexes for gasoline, fuel oil, natural gas, and electricity all increased. New car prices rose sharply, jumping at a rate that has not been seen since the 1980s.

In October, core consumer prices or core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose by 0.2% after increasing by the same level in September. That was also 0.1% more than many analysts had expected. Continue reading Annual U.S. Inflation Down 0.2%, Consumer Prices Rise 0.3% in October →

US consumer prices inched slightly higher but at a slower pace in September than in August, government released data revealed Thursday.

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% last month following a 0.4% increase in August, according to the latest monthly CPI report from the Labor Department. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the so called core CPI also increased by 0.2%. The same August reading was up by 0.1%.

The latest data again eases concerns of rising inflation — at least for now — as a result of the Fed injecting an unprecedented amount of money into the US economy to stir the recovery.

"Today’s figures won’t shift the argument about inflation risks at the Fed. They don’t show deflation, but nor do they show sufficient inflation pressures to make the doves want to tighten soon," Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts, was quoted on Reuters.

Continue reading US Consumer Prices Edge Higher in September, 12-Month Inflation Down 1.3% →

U.S. consumer prices remained unchanged in July but annual inflation registered its largest decline since 1950, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The latest data helped ease concerns of rising inflation due to government spending and the Federal Reserves monetary policy of injecting cash into the US economy.

"It [inflation] could be a very large long-run problem," Mickey Levy, Bank of America, chief economist, was quoted on NYTimes.com. "But in the near-term, it’s not a problem at all."

The Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures at the consumer level, remained unchanged in July due largely to Continue reading US Consumer prices unchanged, biggest annual inflation drop since 1950 →

U.S. consumer prices jumped in June as higher energy costs — gasoline prices in particular — drove up the cost of living, although year-over-year inflation fell by the largest amount since Jan. 1950.

The Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures at the consumer level, rose 0.7% in June following a 0.1% increase in May, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. At the same time, inflation fell 1.4% compared to a year ago when energy prices were at their height. The annual decline is the biggest in 59 years.

"It’s a bit of a bogus comparison, because we’re comparing gas prices at nearly their astronomical peak last year," Stuart Hoffman, economist at PNC, was quoted on CNNMoney.com and referred to the the-record high gasoline prices of over $4 per gallon in July 2008.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the core CPI rose 0.2% in June after a 0.1% increase in May. Continue reading Consumer prices up 0.7% in June, inflation falls 1.4% in year →