Inflation came in hotter than expected in the final Labor Department report before the presidential election less than four weeks away.
The consumer price index, which measures the general cost of goods and services across the country, increased 0.2% in September when seasonally adjusted, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Thursday morning.
Eggs were 8.4% higher, nearly 40% more expensive than a year ago. Butter was 2.8% higher, nearly 8% more expensive than a year ago.
Energy prices fell 1.9% in September. Gasoline prices fell, but electricity and natural gas prices ticked up.
This bumped the annual inflation rate up to 2.4%. Both numbers were 0.1 percentage point higher than the Dow Jones expectations.
Meanwhile, jobless claims also jumped following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in North Carolina and several other areas. Unemployment filings hit…
