Consumer prices climb 0.3% in September (by Jeffry Bartash)
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in September, while so-called core prices rose a lesser 0.1%, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The core data, which posted its smallest increase since March, strips out volatile food and energy costs. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast CPI to rise 0.3% overall, with a 0.2% increase in the core rate. Consumer prices have jumped an unadjusted 3.9% over the past year. The core rate has risen at a slower 2.0% pace, unchanged from August. The increase in prices in September was led by gasoline and a wide variety of groceries. In a related report, the government said average hourly wages adjusted for inflation fell 0.1% in September, seasonally adjusted.