The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released September 2018 Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) today. The all items category increased by 0.1% for one month ended September ’18, and has increased by 2.3% between September ’17 – September 2018 on a seasonally unadjusted basis. The Boys’ apparel category increased by 8.9% over the last month and has increased by 2.7% over the last year. Carbonated drinks rose by 0.6% between August – September ’18 and has increased by 2.1% over the last year. Major appliances rose by 0.4% over the last month and has increased by 7.7% between September ’17 – September 2018. Men’s furnishings increased by 0.3% between August – September 2018 and has risen by 3.6% over the last year. Floor coverings increased by 0.2% over the last month and has increased by 3.0% over the last year. Shown below are historical inflation rates through September 2018 for selected CPI categories (all percentages in this blog are seasonally unadjusted averages):
CPI v. PPI Supermarket Inflation Comparison
The historical CPI v. PPI supermarket inflation spread through September ’18 is shown in the table below:
