U.S. Inflation Data Higher Then Forecasts

Washington, D.C. – Inflation ticked higher in September 2021. The annual inflation rate in the United States increased to a 13-year high of 5.4 percent, up from 5.3 percent in August and above market expectations of 5.3 percent. The primary drivers of inflation were the cost of housing (3.2 percent vs. 2.8 percent in August); food (4.6 percent vs. 3.7 percent, the highest level since December 2011), specifically food consumed at home (4.5 percent vs. 3 percent); new vehicles (8.7 percent vs. 7.6 percent); and energy (24.8 percent vs 25 percent ).

On the other hand, prices for used cars and trucks decreased (24.4 percent vs 31.9 percent); transportation services decreased (4.4 percent vs 4.6 percent); apparel decreased (3.4 percent vs 4.2 percent); and medical care services decreased (3.4 percent vs 4.2 percent) (0.9 percent vs 1 percent ).

Consumer prices increased 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, exceeding forecasts of 0.3 percent, with food and shelter indexes accounting for more than half of the monthly increase.

The core index, which excludes food and energy, increased by 0.2 percent mom and 4% yoy, matching August’s increase and meeting forecasts.

U.S. CPI data likely indicated that inflationary pressures on the economy remained elevated in September, as supply-chain bottlenecks persisted and energy prices skyrocketed, adding to concerns that high inflation will persist longer than expected.