Annual Consumer Price Hikes Accelerate: July Records 3.2% Rise

Consumer price increases have gained momentum on an annual scale after experiencing over a year of subdued growth.

The latest data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday revealed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) surged by 3.2% in the twelve months leading up to July. This represents a significant upswing from the 3% annual growth observed in June.

This unexpected acceleration in the annual headline rate can be attributed to the year-over-year comparisons with July 2022, when monthly inflation had temporarily dipped into negative territory. However, this growth rate slightly fell short of the expectations set by economists, who had anticipated a 3.3% annual gain.

On a monthly basis, prices experienced a 0.2% uptick. This was primarily fueled by the substantial increase in shelter costs, which the BLS report indicates accounted for a substantial 90% of the overall rise.

Conversely, the underlying trajectory of inflation appears to be distinct.

The Core CPI, a key indicator that excludes the comparatively volatile food and energy components, saw a 0.2% increase from June, marking a 4.7% growth from the corresponding period of the previous year. Notably, July marks the fourth consecutive month in which the annual core CPI has progressively decelerated. The 4.7% growth rate was marginally below consensus expectations by 0.1 percentage points. In June, prices had shown a 0.2% month-on-month increase and a 4.8% annual surge.

The persistent presence of heightened inflation, particularly evident in sectors such as groceries, fuel, and rent, has placed sustained pressure on consumers for a period spanning over two years. Responding to this challenge, the Federal Reserve has embarked on a series of 11 interest rate hikes since March of the preceding year. This strategic approach aims to moderate inflation by curbing demand, resulting in the highest interest rates recorded in 22 years.

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