The Consumer Price Index edged up 0.2% in August on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, the same increase as in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.5% before seasonal adjustment.
The index for all items less food and energy, the “core CPI”, rose 0.3% in August, after edging up 0.2% in the prior month.
The index for shelter increased 0.5% in August. The shelter index increased 0.5% in July and 0.4% in June.
The food index rose 0.1% in August, after rising 0.2% in July. The food at home remained unchanged after rising 0.1% in July. Two of the six major grocery store good group indexes increased over the month. The index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased 0.8%, after increasing 0.7% in July. The index for other food at home fell 0.3% in August, while the index for fruits and vegetables edged down 0.2%.
The energy index decreased 0.8% in August, after remaining unchanged in July. The gasoline index fell 0.6% after being unchanged last month. The electricity index decreased 0.7% over the month and the natural gas index fell 1.9% in August. The energy index increased 4.0% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 10.3% over this 12-month span while the index for fuel oil fell 12.1%. The index for electricity increased 3.9% over the last 12 months.
Read the BLS release.
