Key Fed inflation rate hits 2.1% in September, as expected

Key Fed inflation rate hits 2.1% in September, as expected


Key Fed inflation rate hits 2.1% in September, as expected

Inflation increased slightly in September and moved closer to the Federal Reserve’s target, according to a Commerce Department report Thursday.

The personal consumption expenditures price index showed a seasonally adjusted 0.2% increase for the month, with the 12-month inflation rate at 2.1%, both in line with Dow Jones estimates. The Fed uses the PCE reading as its primary inflation gauge, though policymakers also follow a variety of other indicators.

Fed officials target inflation at a 2% annual rate, a level it has not achieved since February 2021. The September headline rate was down 0.2 percentage point from August.

Though the headline number showed the central bank nearing its goal, the inflation rate was at 2.7% excluding food and energy, after the so-called core measure increased 0.3% on a monthly basis. The annual rate was 0.1 percentage point higher than forecast but the same as in August.

The report comes with markets betting heavily that the Fed will cut its benchmark short-term borrowing rate when it meets next week. In September, the Fed slashed the rate by a half percentage point, a move virtually unprecedented during an economic expansion.

Policymakers have expressed confidence that inflation is heading back to target while at the same time showing concern over the state of the labor market despite most indicators showing that hiring is continuing and layoffs are low.

A separate report Thursday morning reinforced the notion that companies are mostly hanging onto their workers.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits totaled 216,000 for the week ending Oct. 26, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous period’s upwardly revised level, according to the Labor Department. The total was also below the 230,000 forecast.

Despite worries over inflation, the Commerce Department report showed income and spending held up during the month.

Personal income increased 0.3%, slightly higher than the August number and in line with expectations. Consumer spending rose 0.5%, topping the outlook by 0.1 percentage point.

In yet another data point Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the employment cost index increased 0.8% in the third quarter, 0.1 percentage below forecast. On a 12-month basis, the index, which measures wages, salaries and benefits, increased 3.9%, compared to a 2.4% increase in the consumer price index, another widely followed inflation measure.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.



Source

This CEO’s startup has raised  million and is backed by Sundar Pichai. He shares his ‘superpower’ tip for aspiring entrepreneurs
World

This CEO’s startup has raised $92 million and is backed by Sundar Pichai. He shares his ‘superpower’ tip for aspiring entrepreneurs

Caesar Sengupta, co-founder and CEO of Arta Finance. Courtesy of Arta Finance Given the ups and downs of the startup journey, the biggest “superpower” that entrepreneurs can have is the ability to ground themselves, said Caesar Sengupta, co-founder and CEO of fintech startup Arta Finance. “There’s so much noise in the world,” Sengupta told CNBC […]

Read More
Trump readies blanket tariffs as he brushes off inflation worries
World

Trump readies blanket tariffs as he brushes off inflation worries

US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he plans to impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most trade partners, dismissing concerns that further tariffs could negatively impact the stock […]

Read More
CNBC Daily Open: Building renovations might be another front in Trump’s attacks on Powell
World

CNBC Daily Open: Building renovations might be another front in Trump’s attacks on Powell

Construction on the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images Homo economicus, or the “economic man,” is an idea that depicts humans as rational beings. This assumption has been used to construct models of the economy and, more broadly, society. […]

Read More