The Labor Department announces a slowdown in price increases to 0.3% over one month, against 0.5% in July, while analysts had expected 0.4%.
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The price increase was less sharp than expected in August in the United States compared to the previous month, and even slowed down year on year, for the first time since October 2020, according to the CPI index released Tuesday by the Department of Labor. .
Inflation slowed to 0.3% over one month, from 0.5% in July, less than the 0.4% expected by analysts. And over one year, the price increase is 5.3%, against 5.4% in July.
This slowdown comforts many economists who for months believe that this high inflation is due to temporary pressures, which will not lead to a lasting surge in prices.
In August, inflation was driven by the prices of gasoline, furniture, food and housing, said the Department of Labor in its statement.
Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation is even the lowest since February 2021, at 0.1%.
Used car prices fell for the first time since February (-1.5%), after having jumped in the spring. Over one year, the increase is 31.9%.
Airline ticket prices also plunged from July (-9.1%), with the Delta variant of COVID-19 again constraining travel.
“Price increases due to persistent supply chain bottlenecks in a context of high demand will keep the inflation rate high and persistent, as the imbalances between supply and demand will only gradually resolve.” , however emphasizes Kathy Bostjancic, economist for Oxford Economics.
Inflation over one year had accelerated sharply from April.
The difference being enormous between the prices of spring 2020, which had plunged under the effect of the initial containment measures, and those of spring 2021, in full economic boom in the United States thanks to the financial aid paid to households by the government and vaccination.
Global manufacturing and delivery challenges related to the pandemic have also pushed up the prices of many products.
Another inflation index, the PCE index, showed an acceleration in July over one year, to 4.2% from 4% in June, but a slowdown over one month, to 0.4% from 0.5 % in June.
Wholesale prices of goods and services in the United States have climbed at a rate not seen in August over a year, but slowed over a month, according to the PPI index, which takes into account prices from the point of view of manufacturers and sellers, when the PCE and CPI indices measure them on the consumer side.
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