Consumer Price Index Unchanged in September

Consumer prices were unchanged in September, kept in check by falling fuel prices, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The consumer price index, the government’s main gauge of inflation, had fallen 0.1% in August, its first decline in two years, Labor said.

Economists had forecast a 0.1% increase in September, Bloomberg reported. Prices have increased 4.5% in the past 12 months through August.

The so-called core CPI excluding food and energy rose 0.1%, less than the 0.2% gain forecast.

The CPI is the government’s broadest gauge of costs for goods and services. Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services.

If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.