U.S. consumer inflation climbs 0.6% in September (by Jeffry Bartash)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer prices jumped 0.6% in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday, mostly because of higher gas costs. So-called core prices, seen as a better gauge of inflationary trends, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% for the third straight month. The core figure strips out volatile food and energy costs. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.5% increase in the main CPI and a 0.2% advance in the core rate. Consumer prices have risen an unadjusted 2.0% over the past 12 months, up from 1.7% in August. The core rate has also risen 2.0% in that span, up from 1.9% in the prior month. Inflation-adjusted hourly wages, meanwhile, fell by 0.3% in September. Real wages have fallen 0.2% over the past 12 months, as inflation has climbed slightly faster than the increase in pay.