Consumer Prices Surge Most Since '91

(AP) - US consumer prices shot up 0.8% in July, twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs, the AP reports. The spike left inflation running at 5.6%, the fastest pace in 17 years, the Labor Department reported today. It marked the third straight month of soaring prices, following jumps of 0.6% in May and 1.1% in June. More»

Producer prices lap analyst estimates

(NEWSER) - Wholesale prices rose more than twice as fast as analysts predicted in January, in the latest sign that inflation is outstripping growth, Bloomberg reports. After a 0.3% drop in December, finished good prices rose 1% last month, with the core indicator up 0.4%, its biggest gain in almost a year. Fed chief Ben Bernanke will discuss the inflation statistics tomorrow when he delivers a policy report to Congress, MarketWatch notes. More»

Fed may have hands tied, as CPI soars past expectations

(NEWSER) - Core inflation bounded ahead of expectations in January, which is bad news for anyone betting on a big rate cut from the Fed–and for the Fed itself. The consumer price index rose 0.4%, with core CPI rising 0.3%, putting the year-over-year figures at 4.3% and 2.5% respectively, well above the Fed’s traditional 1.5%-2% comfort zone, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Housing slump offsets energy rise to keep CPI down

(NEWSER) - Consumer prices saw only modest gains last month, welcome news for inflation watchers with an eye on rising oil prices and a dropping dollar. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3%, in lockstep with analysts' estimates. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2%. Year-over-year, the increases were 3.5% and 2.2% respectively, with the latter just above the Fed’s presumed 1%-2% comfort zone, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Extra reports to give investors clearer picture

(NEWSER) - The Federal Reserve will issue more detailed reports twice as often, Ben Bernanke announced today. Starting next Tuesday, the Fed will release projections for inflation, GDP, and unemployment four times a year, accompanied by a “narrative” telling investors what the Fed is thinking. Bernanke also said he’d be looking at overall inflation from now on, not just the gas- and food-free core rate. More»