Vegetables on display at a grocery store in Delray Beach, Florida on August 15th, 2025.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Consumers moved payments for a variety of goods and services higher than expected in August, but the unemployed will accelerate and provide a challenging economic signal to the Federal Reserve ahead of next week’s meeting.
The Consumer Price Index recorded a seasonally adjusted 0.4% increase, the biggest profit since January, with annual inflation rates of 2.9%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, increasing its highest reading since January. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were looking for measurements of 0.3% and 2.9%, respectively.
For the key core readings that exclude food and energy, the gain in August was 0.3%, bringing the 12-month figure to 3.1%. Fed officials believe the core is a better survey of long-term trends. Central banks’ inflation target is 2%.
With employment, the Labor Bureau reported a surprising increase in weekly unemployment compensation applications to 263,000 seasonally adjusted for the week ended September 6th. The billing level was marked the highest in almost four years.
The report provides the final part of the complex data puzzle that the central bank will review at its two-day policy meeting, ending September 17th.
Traders have risen significantly following the report as they are more likely to cut interest rates.
“Today’s CPI report is busy with unemployment claims reports,” wrote Sheemashya, Chief Global Strategist of Principal Asset Management. “The CPI report is a little hotter than expected, but if they announce rate cuts next week, they won’t give the Fed a moment of hesitation. In either case, the jump in unemployed claims will be injected a little more urgently into the Fed’s decisions.
The closely monitored CPI readings benefit most from a 0.4% increase in shelter costs, accounting for about a third of the index weighting. Food prices rose 0.5%, but with gasoline rising 1.9%, energy rose 0.7%, indicating the impact of tariffs on prices.
Market prices show 100% certainty that the Fed will lower benchmark interest rates. However, given this year’s labor market weaknesses and inflation measurements, there was a slight implicit chance that the Fed could deviate from its normal quarterly percentage point movement and choose to cut half points.
Traders also almost certainly moved another potential cut in October, confirming that a third move is likely in December.
Fed officials are looking closely at inflation data for clues regarding President Donald Trump’s impact from tariffs. The inflation figures behave relatively well, but there were visible passthroughs from the job. BLS reported on Wednesday that producer prices actually fell 0.1% in August.
Tariff-sensitive vehicle prices increased monthly, with new vehicles increasing by 0.3%. Used cars and trucks that are generally not affected by tariffs rose 1%.
However, the Fed is focusing more on services costs as an underlying inflation signal. Historically, tariffs have been considered to temporarily raise prices on goods, but they are not long-term inflation drivers.
Service prices, excluding energy, rose 0.3% in August, and increased 3.6% per year. Shelters also rose 3.6% per year, peaking above 8% in early 2023, and have been steadily decreasing throughout the year.
If Fed officials were questioning the cuts, Jobless Clays Report could have sealed the deal.
My first application has earned the highest points since October 23, 2021. This indicates that employers may be cutting their workforce now. Although employment has been slower throughout the year, layoffs are also tamed, showing more current status as Chairman Jerome Powell is not “solid” labor market and repeatedly debilitating.
Continuous billing, running a week late, has not changed at 194 million, but has been approaching the highest level since the second half of 2021.
