US Inflation Holds Steady in August; Core Rate Eases to 2.4 Percent

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index report, released Thursday, 20 Shahrivar 1405 (September 11, 2026), US annual inflation held steady at 3.4 percent in August, but the monthly CPI rose 0.4 percent, a marked acceleration from July's 0.1 percent gain, driven largely by higher gasoline prices.

According to Arzdigital, core inflation, which excludes food and energy, eased on an annual basis to 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent, though its monthly increase of 0.3 percent came in above the market's 0.2 percent forecast. The data was released ahead of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee meeting on September 15 and 16, with current market pricing pointing to a 0.25 percentage point rate increase at that meeting.