U.S. Consumer Prices Rose in August on Further Gain in Used Cars

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. consumer prices rose for a third month in August, signaling a gradual pickup in inflation as the economy recovers from the pandemic-induced downturn.

The consumer price index rose 0.4% from the prior month, following a 0.6% gain in July, Labor Department figures showed Friday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 0.3% increase. Compared with a year earlier, the gauge increased 1.3%, after July’s 1% rise.

Excluding volatile food and fuel costs, the so-called core CPI -- viewed by policy makers as a more reliable gauge of price trends -- also increased 0.4% from the prior month, driven by used-car prices, after a 0.6% jump in July that was the largest in almost three decades. On an annual basis, core inflation measured 1.7% following 1.6% in July.

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