For the fourth consecutive month, the U.S. Labor Department's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose in October. Last month's increase of two-tenths of a percent, however, was a full percentage point less than September's 1.2% rise. Prices for housing, medical care, recreation, and food and beverages increased in September. Prices for energy, which soared 12% in September, actually declined two-tenths of a percent in October.
The so-called core CPI, which strips away price changes for food and fuel, rose two-tenths of a percent in October, following five months of one-tenth percent increases. October's increase was right in line with economists' expectations.
