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U.S. consumer prices rise at fastest pace in 30 years

10 November 2021 20:05 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in October as the cost of gasoline and food surged, leading to the biggest annual gain since 1990, further signs that inflation could remain uncomfortably high well into next year amid snarled global supply chains, APA reports citing Reuters.

The consumer price index rose 0.9% last month after gaining 0.4% in September, the Labor Department said on Wednesday. In the 12 months through October, the CPI accelerated 6.2%. That was the largest year-on-year advance since November 1990 and followed a 5.4% jump in September.

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in October as the cost of gasoline and food surged, leading to the biggest annual gain since 1990, further signs that inflation could remain uncomfortably high well into next year amid snarled global supply chains.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the CPI gained 0.6% after climbing 0.2% in September. The so-called core CPI jumped 4.6% on a year-on-year basis, the largest increase since August 1991, after being steady at 4.0% for two straight months. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the overall CPI shooting up 0.6% and the core CPI rising 0.4%.

Inflation is heating up again as the economic drag from the summer wave of COVID-19 infections, driven by the Delta variant, fades and supply bottlenecks persist. Trillions of dollars in pandemic relief from governments across the globe fueled demand for goods, leaving supply chains overstretched.

The nearly two-year long pandemic has upended labor markets, causing a global shortage of workers needed to produce raw materials and move goods from factories to consumers. The government reported on Tuesday that producer prices increased strongly in October, reversing a slowing trend in the monthly PPI that had become entrenched since spring.

Though the Federal Reserve last week restated its belief that current high inflation is "expected to be transitory," most economists are skeptical, also noting that wages are rising strongly as companies scramble for workers.