August US Core Inflation Rose 0.3%, Hotter than Expected

By:

James Hyerczyk

Updated: Sep 13, 2023, 14:53 GMT+00:00

The core CPI data revealed a rise of 0.3% for the month, higher than the 0.2% forecast.

Highlights

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which encapsulates the costs of an expansive range of goods and services, saw an uptick of 0.6% during the month.
The core CPI data reveals a rise of 0.3% for the month.
Annualized CPI increased 3.7%, slightly surpassing the 3.6% forecast.

Inflation Peaks in August with Energy Taking the Lead

Inflation’s August Rise

In August, inflation saw its highest monthly surge this year. Energy prices, along with various other goods, have been the key contributors to this uptick. The U.S. Department of Labor reveals that the consumer price index (CPI), which gauges costs over a broad spectrum of products and services, ascended by 0.6% for the month. This puts the index at an increase of 3.7% year-on-year, closely aligning with Dow Jones economist projections.

Drilling Down on Key Sectors

Diving deeper into the numbers, when food and energy are excluded, the core CPI rose by 0.3% for the month and 4.3% year-on-year. This core data holds more weight with Federal Reserve officials since it offers a clearer long-term inflation direction. Energy costs, especially, recorded a significant rise, with a monthly jump of 5.6%. This surge included an eye-catching 10.6% increase in gasoline. In the meantime, food prices edged up by 0.2%, while shelter expenses, accounting for approximately a third of the CPI weight, climbed by 0.3%.

Market Responses and Worker Earnings

This inflationary uptick had immediate ripples in the stock market, with futures initially dipping post-report but soon recovering. Concurrently, Treasury yields jumped. It’s also notable that this inflationary leap has dented worker earnings, with real average hourly wages dropping by 0.5% for August. However, there’s a silver lining as they are still up by 0.5% when compared to last year, as per another Labor Department report.

Federal Reserve’s Anti-Inflationary Measures

The surge in inflation has garnered focused attention from Federal Reserve officials, propelling them to devise long-term solutions. Since March 2022, the central bank has elevated its benchmark borrowing rate by an impressive 5.25 percentage points. This move was in response to an inflation rate that soared to a 40-year high during 2022’s summer. Lately, the discourse among officials has shifted to a more conservative stance. Earlier, while there was a proclivity towards aggressive monetary policy tightening, current deliberations exude a cautious tone concerning future rate increments.

Anticipating Future Fed Moves

The market is currently in a state of anticipation. The consensus among stakeholders is that the Fed might sidestep a rate hike in the upcoming meeting. However, future predictions remain turbulent. CME Group data suggests that traders see a 44% likelihood of one last rate hike in November.

About the Author

James Hyerczykauthor

James is a Florida-based technical analyst, market researcher, educator and trader with 35+ years of experience. He is an expert in the area of patterns, price and time analysis as it applies to futures, Forex, and stocks.